Billionaire Solomon Lew says Victoria should have acted sooner

Sue Mitchell, Simon Evans, Angela Macdonald-Smith, James Frost and James Fernyhough

Aug 3, 2020 – 6.21pm

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Retailing billionaire Solomon Lew, chairman of ASX-listed Premier Investments, says the the Victorian government's move to shut retailing in Melbourne was the right decision now, but it should have acted much sooner to prevent illness, deaths and financial pain.

Mr Lew backed the stage-four lockdown but said the government should have been more decisive earlier, and shopping centres should have closed their doors weeks ago.

Sue Mitchell writes the fortnightly Window Shopping column for the Financial Review and has covered retailing for over 30 years.

Simon Evans writes on business specialising in retail, manufacturing, beverages, mining and M&A. He is based in Adelaide.

Angela Macdonald-Smith writes on the resources industry with a focus on energy, including gas, oil, electricity and renewables.

James Frost writes about banking, funds management and superannuation. Based in Melbourne, James has been reporting on specialist business and finance topics for 15 years.

James Fernyhough writes about telecommunications, insurance and financial services. He's based in the AFR's Melbourne office.