<|begin_of_text|><|begin_of_text|><|begin_of_text|>“The theme for all our Business Outlook forums this year has been basically the same—a focus on stimulating economic growth after what seemed to be an entrenched recession, which slowed or put growth on hold in a number of areas,” said Ms Joan Albury<wm>, the regional manager of the Australian Centre for Economics’ Business Outlook. She said that she is predicting a slower recovery over the next years but also noting that she is optimistic about an increase in retail sales and productivity growth, driven largely by expanding online sales which is taking advantage of the reduced global supply and shortages in some parts of the world.

Ms Albury said that she also emphasized that retailers in our region have been impacted by Brexit which should help shift consumer behavior and put downward pressure on wholesale retail prices</wm>. However, the actual impact of the UK exit on our economic growth will depend on how Brexit affects