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Bookkeeping for retailers

Shops take money through card terminals, cash tills, lay-bys and gift cards, while stock is often bought ahead of the selling season on supplier credit terms. We look after day-to-day bookkeeping for retailers across Australia.

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Businesses in Retail Trade (ANZSIC division G)

Actively trading businesses across Australia
156,169 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2025, checked 15 October 2026
Of those, classified as non-employing
77,559 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2025, checked 15 October 2026
Of those, with 1 to 4 employees
46,888 businessesAustralian Bureau of Statistics, Counts of Australian Businesses, June 2025, checked 15 October 2026

Businesses by main state or territory

  1. New South Wales51,433 businesses
  2. Victoria47,315 businesses
  3. Queensland29,365 businesses
  4. Western Australia13,488 businesses
  5. South Australia9,024 businesses
  6. Tasmania2,588 businesses
  7. Australian Capital Territory1,768 businesses
  8. Northern Territory939 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, June 2025. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 8: Businesses by industry division by Statistical Area Level 2 by employment size ranges (8165DC08.xlsx). Checked 15 Oct 2026.

Businesses by number of employees

  1. Non-employing77,559 businesses
  2. 1 to 4 employees46,888 businesses
  3. 5 to 19 employees25,180 businesses
  4. 20 to 199 employees6,175 businesses
  5. 200 or more employees367 businesses
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, June 2025. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 8: Businesses by industry division by Statistical Area Level 2 by employment size ranges (8165DC08.xlsx). Checked 15 Oct 2026.

What we look after

What the books involve

  • Shop takings: end-of-day till reports checked against card terminal settlements and banked cash, with any shortfall or overage listed for the owner to look into.
  • Stock buying: supplier invoices entered against the orders they fill, and credit notes for damaged, short-delivered or returned goods matched so they come off the next payment.
  • Gift cards and lay-bys: money taken now for goods handed over later recorded as owing to customers, then released as each card is redeemed or each lay-by is collected.
  • Several shops or channels: sales and costs coded by store, website or market stall using tracking categories, so the monthly reports compare them side by side.
  • Shop running costs such as lease payments, shopfitting, merchant fees and point of sale subscriptions entered and reconciled, along with any business loan or equipment finance accounts.

Sources

  1. Counts of Australian Businesses, data cube 8: Businesses by industry division by Statistical Area Level 2 by employment size ranges (8165DC08.xlsx)

    Australian Bureau of Statistics. Actively trading businesses at 30 June 2025, released 16 December 2025. Checked 15 October 2026.

    Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data, Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, June 2021 to June 2025, licensed under CC BY 4.0 Licence: CC BY 4.0.

  2. Correspondence, GCCSA 2021 to GCCSA 2026 (CG_GCCSA_2021_GCCSA_2026.csv)

    Australian Bureau of Statistics. ASGS Edition 4, July 2026 to June 2031, released 22 July 2026. Checked 15 October 2026.

    Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) Edition 4, licensed under CC BY 4.0 Licence: CC BY 4.0.

Talk to us about your books

Tell us how your business runs and what you need from your books, and we will suggest a bookkeeping plan that fits.

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