DOZENS of shops will reopen at major centres across the Gold Coast on Saturday after the State Government’s easing of social restrictions.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will allow people to leave their homes for some non-essential outings, including shopping and recreational activities within 50 km of their home, after an easing of coronavirus cases in Queensland.
Many retailers at centres including Pacific Fair, Harbour Town and Robina Town Centre have decided to reopen as a result.
Harbour Town premium outlets centre manager Greg Day said a number of big name brand stores have reopened this week with more to open to customers this weekend.
“Harbour Town Premium Outlets have had a number of stores reopen in the past week including Afends, C60 Surf (Billabong), City Beach, Intersport, Rip Curl, Nonna’s Restaurant, Subway and Volcom,” Mr Day said.
“Lindt are scheduled to recommence trade from this Thursday, followed by Armani Outlet on Saturday. Bed, Bath N’ Table will welcome back shoppers next week.
“We are excited to see retailers returning to our Centre in time for Mother’s Day, and we ask all shoppers to please ensure that they are able to continue to trade by practising social distancing and personal hygiene while at Harbour Town.”
A Pacific Fair spokesman said a number of shops including Zara, Peter Alexander and Tree of Life would reopen this weekend. However, measures would still be in place to ensure safety.
“Pacific Fair continues to provide our community with essential services during this time, and from Saturday we will see some more of our stores begin to trade again in line with the changes to Queensland regulations,” the spokesman said.
The centre will continue additional cleaning and in-centre sanitising stations.
The Oasis centre in Broadbeach said more than 15 of its tenants would re-open on Saturday.
“This is great news for the Gold Coast community and our loyal customers at The Oasis and especially our retail and hospitality tenants that can reopen their businesses,” said centre manager Tim Grigg.
A dozen more shops including Jay Jays, Kookai and Smiggle are also reopening at Robina Town Centre tomorrow.
Despite the changes Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said a total change to the rules was unlikely for some weeks yet.
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