‘Could be my exit call’: King William Rd’s $6m upgrade could force traders to close or move
A MAJOR $6 million upgrade of King William Rd — slated for April next year — could push businesses to the wall, some traders say.
A MAJOR $6 million upgrade of King William Rd — slated for April next year — could push businesses to the wall, some traders say.
The Eastern Courier Messenger counted 15 empty premises along the Hyde Park shopping strip last week — equating to a 6.7 per cent vacancy rate — although three are due to reopen soon.
But some traders fear more businesses will close as upgrade works ramp up.
Under the Unley Council blueprint for the strip, the current pavers would be replaced, footpaths widened to allow for more outdoor dining and on-street parking reduced between Park and Union streets.
About 70 trees would be planted and planter boxes installed along the road, along with four new pedestrian crossings.
Menswear trader Sonia Black said next year’s construction works could mean the end of nearly 20 years of business on King William Rd.
“It could be my exit call,” Mrs Black said. “Who will survive that? It was such a vibrant area.
“It’s tough going right now, I barely get through. Vacancy rates will go up.”
Another trader, who wished to remain anonymous, was closing down her business because of the looming upgrade, as well as increased rent.
“It will look beautiful in the end, but it will be nightmare in between,” she said.
“It’s purely a business decision (to move) … and I’m not here to make landlords rich. They are so inflexible.”
She said a health supplements store opening on the strip was a further sign King William Rd was “no longer a boutique street”.
“It’s quietened down a lot over the past six months,” she said.
King William Rd was the only commercial precinct in the Unley Council area to record an increase in vacancy rates last year to September, up to 7.1 per cent from 5.5 per cent in 2016.
The revamp of the street is being overseen by former Transport and Infrastructure Department chief Rod Hook, who has been consulting with traders.
Mr Hook said the council expected to appoint a contractor in February and stage the works across six sections, to be finished by October.
“We’d … probably start at the southern end and work along,” Mr Hook said.
“Major works in the street is always a challenge for traders, but we are going out of way to do the best we possibly can … make it as seamless as possible.”
He said the common view among traders was that they wanted to be kept in the loop.
“The major view is it will be tremendous when it’s done, and they appreciate they are in the mix and working with us on how we do it,” he said.
“Some are a bit more nervous than others. Some who won’t be around (next year), one or two in the process of closing, but the vast majority are saying ‘we want to see it through’.”
Alongside the revamp, Mrs Black said a lack of “unique shops” and breakfast and lunch options and spiralling rents were also behind a decrease in foot traffic on King William Rd.
“There’s a lack of destination shops, like Bang and Olufsen, which closed,” she said.
“We need more coffee shops.
“Rents are high in relevance to the amount of vacancies there are.”
She also said landlords needed to be more selective about who they allow to set up shop.
“There was a cocktail bar across the road — they spent so much money on developing the place, it was closed within months,” she said.
“It’s not the right place for a bar.
“They (landlords) are signing up businesses left, right and centre which aren’t suited.”
