Gift and Homewares Australia (GHA) and Reed Gift Fairs have announced their August 2006 gift fairs in two separate Melbourne venues: The Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre and a new location, The Graham Centre. Construction work on the Convention Centre means Bay 21, Bay 22 and Riverside Pavilion will no longer be available for 2006. The Graham Centre is three kilometres from the Convention Centre. Continuous shuttle buses will operate between the two venues during the trade fair

Shop assistants cant get Kylie Minogue out of their heads – But they really, do want to. Britney Spears headed the list, with Kylie Minogue being voted third-most annoying singer of in-store music in a poll of 1400 British shop assistants, claiming around 1/3rd of them heard the same album up to 20 times per week. Around half of people polled said they had received complaints from customers about music blaring through a shop.

Christmas was listed as the most testing time for retail workers, with Jingle Bells topping the list of the most hated seasonal songs. Retailers are recommended to consult employees and achieve a varied play list that will be well received by both shoppers and staff.