Brisbane Lord Mayor’s plea to buy local amid virus downturn
Some Brisbane retailers have reportedly suffered a two-thirds drop in trade due to the coronavirus, as the Lord Mayor issues a plea for citizens to play their part.
South West
Don't miss out on the headlines from South West. Followed categories will be added to My News.
BRISBANE’S Lord Mayor has urged residents to buy local to keep the city’s economy afloat amid reports of economic challenges due to the coronavirus.
Cr Adrian Schrinner made the plea today at the premier Brisbane high street Latrobe Terrace, Paddington, as he announced a $48,000 program to create pop-ups stores in empty shops.
Coronavirus to cause chaos for Queensland businesses
Fourth member of Chinese tour group tests positive to Wuhan coronavirus on Qld’s Gold Coast
“Right now, we are not only just facing a health challenge with coronavirus, we are facing an economic challenge,” he said.
“We know that some of our big export industries like tourism, like international students, are facing challenges with the coronavirus.
“But we can do something about that: we can support our local businesses.”
He said governments and council alone could not support small businesses and everyone would need to do their little bit to help.
“That means instead of getting home delivery, go out, take the family out, have dinner at a local restaurant and cafe,” he said.
National Retail Association chief executive officer Dominique Lamb said the bushfires, the coronavirus and generally tough conditions had worn on small business owners.
“The virus has impacted some of our retailers where they’re predicting that their sales have gone down by 66 per cent at this time,” she said.
“It’s simply because people aren’t coming to their stores … we really need to encourage people to get out and about.
“If we don’t do that, it’s going to get harder for those retailers and, you know, ultimately that will impact jobs.”
Grants program to fill empty shops
Cr Schrinner also announced the council would start a program to help emerging businesses and social enterprises take out short-term leases at empty shops.
Grants of $2000 will be available for them for leasing, fit out, visual merchandising and other costs of the temporary lease, with the dollar amount available to landlords as an incentive to take part in the matchmaking program.
“The observation we’ve seen from a number of tenants around the city is that rents probably aren’t as affordable as they should be at this time,” he said.
“So we want to partner with landlords and tenants to make sure we get the right balance.”
The plan was first flagged in former Lord Mayor Graham Quirk’s Brisbane’s Future Blueprint document in June 2018 — to be achieved within a 12 month time frame.
Ms Lamb added it was “wonderful” that the grants program would activate empty stores and said similar programs around the world had been successful.
“Look, we know when it comes to strip shops, it’s all about activation, it’s about making sure that there’s an atmosphere there, that people have a reason to want to go there,” she said.
Owner celebrates one year anniversary after ‘tough’ times
Melissa Simmonds will celebrate her shop, Bristle, being open at Paddington for one year on Thursday but said it had “absolutely” been a tough 12 months.
“I’ve sort of spent quite a bit of time thinking, ‘I hope I can keep my head above water’,” she said.
She said Christmas had been “good but not great" and welcomed Cr Schrinner’s call to shop local and the grants program to bring more life to the city’s high streets.
“If the shops around me are filling up, it will ultimately bring more traffic, more shoppers, more browsers, just a better energy, which will help all of us,” she said.
“The more, the merrier.”
As an artist who used to live in rural areas, she sells her own work, local artisans as well as products from the bush.
“We’re all small businesses, often we’re small family run businesses, where our family unit really rely on our income, it’s not a hobby.
“I’m very much always pushing shop local, support local, support small in general.
“Whatever your local area is shop small: buy fish and chips, or Thai, or whatever it is in your local area.”
‘Deputy dog Miles will have to take the hit’: Early voting surprise
Voters in two southeast Queensland state electorates have surprised polling station workers, as many expressed scepticism over Labor’s election promises. VOTER VIDEO
Mum riddled with cancer years after she thought battle was over
A Brisbane mother thought she had finally beaten breast cancer before the deadly disease returned with a vengeance. Samantha’s husband has now gone into fight for her.