Melbourne retailers fear ongoing restrictions will stop them opening, cancel Christmas
Melbourne retailers claim they’ve been shut-out of conversations with the state government about when and how they could stage a safe and successful reopening, leaving them fearing the worst.
Coronavirus
Don't miss out on the headlines from Coronavirus. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Melbourne’s haemorrhaging retail sector fears it will not be given the green light to reopen next week, and “Christmas will be cancelled”.
But while shops may remain closed for the time being, there could be good news on Sunday for frustrated families and those with solo pursuits such as golf and fishing possibly back on the cards and a potential extension of the 5km travel rule.
There could also be an expansion of the number of people who can gather outdoors in parks and public spaces in metropolitan Melbourne and a move to some form of outdoor dining.
Regional Victoria is also on track for a further relaxing of restrictions.
However, retail sources said they had been shut-out of conversations with the state government about when and how they could stage a safe and successful reopening in Melbourne, leaving them fearing the worst.
One major player said Melbourne retailers were seething at the “disrespectful” way they had been treated by the state government, “with little or no consultation over anything”.
Even if — in a surprise Sunday announcement — metropolitan retail was allowed to reopen in some capacity, store owners would not have time to properly prepare, he said.
Australian Retailers’ Association chief Paul Zahra said store owners were desperate for clarity around reopening and had been expecting details on Sunday.
But Premier Daniel Andrews’ comments on Friday had delivered “another crushing blow”.
“Retailers are bewildered by the Premier’s recent message that it is still ‘not safe’ … extended lockdowns are destroying thousands of retail jobs and while retailers are doing everything, they can to stay optimistic and keep their teams employed, many just simply can’t hold on much longer,” he said.
“We know from the last lockdown when retail reopened, there was pent-up demand for consumers wanting to hit the shops. This time we are looking at a retail closure of 76 days at what is now the cusp of the Christmas shopping season. Is Christmas cancelled?”
Mr Zahra said every day of delay was costing more jobs.
“Weeks ago, we were led to believe that an October 19 opening was the likely outcome. However, despite countless requests for clarity, we still haven’t seen the government put forward a plan for a restart of the retail industry,” he said.
Hospitality businesses were also “on the edge of their seats”, as they prayed for an easing of restrictions on Sunday, Restaurant and Catering Australia chief Wes Lambert said.
But, like retailers, suburban restaurants and cafes would struggle to open in a matter of days, with no prior notice, he said.
“Operators need time to prepare … business confidence in the industry has never been lower,” Mr Lambert said.
“Hospitality businesses are down 50 per cent year-on-year in Victoria, for September.”
Some landmark restaurants in prime Melbourne locations have revealed they now have “six-nearly-seven figure debts” to carry, while a number of other, smaller suburban establishments have told the Herald Sun they fear they will never be able to pay back their loans after lockdown.
And while it is possible outdoor dining may be on the cards in Melbourne soon, many venues have said it is not feasible to open without indoor dining.
Chapel Street Precinct manager Chrissie Maus said it was time the State Government “started showing trust in our businesses and commence” and let all retailers and restaurants reopen.
“Our businesses have been ready for some time now with clear and effective COVID-safe plans and we critically need to restart our local economy now, before it’s too late,” she said.
Announcing just two new coronavirus cases for Victoria on Friday, Mr Andrews said the State was “well placed to take significant steps on Sunday”.
But he warned the government would continue to review data into Saturday night before announcing what upcoming weeks would look like, and any easing of restrictions would likely be of a social rather than economic nature.
Asked about increasing opportunities for hospitality, Mr Andrews said “there are opportunities for us to expand the settings in regional Victoria”.
He added the border between regional Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne would “definitely stay” and could be made harder still, and there would likely be further steps taken across many areas of regional Victoria.
And if solitary sports are back on the agenda soon, don’t expect to have a beer in the club house afterwards, as they are set to remain shut.
“Golf, tennis, fishing, all those sorts of outdoor activities which may in and of themselves be quite low risk, they invite and require substantial movement and that’s why they have not been allowed,” Mr Andrews said.
“I can tell you club houses won’t be opened, but if we can take other steps and give people back some of what they love … then they’re the sort of decisions we have to make on Sunday.”
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Paul Guerra said he wanted to see more restrictions removed and more businesses operating each week.
“Business owners are at their wits’ end. They need some good news from the Premier this weekend,” he said. “We can and should begin living alongside COVID-19 and find a ‘new normal’ in which businesses can operate safely and Victorians can get back to work.”
Committee for Melbourne chief Martine Letts said: “We hope and expect that the Premier can assure us that our health system is now up to the task of giving businesses and Melburnians the confidence that they can open up without the risk of another disastrous lockdown.
“We want to see our shops, cafes and restaurants safely open and get the construction industry back to full strength-that would be a good place to start. Then get the people back into the CBD who will actually shop and eat.”
TOURISM CHIEFS PROPOSE ‘SAFE’ ALTERNATIVE
Victoria’s peak tourism bodies have called for travel restrictions to be lifted across the state by the end of the month.
The Victorian Tourism Industry Council on Friday said it was clear Victoria would not meet its COVID road map targets and it was “time for a new approach”.
VTIC, in concert with the Accommodation Association of Australia, Australian Camps Association, Meetings and Events Australia, Tourism Accommodation Australia, Victorian Caravan Parks Association and regional tourism boards, called for a return to indoor dining and business events, and the opening of outdoor attractions and venues.
“The Victorian tourism industry has been bleeding jobs and revenue since the 2019 bushfires,” VTIC chief Felicia Mariani said.
“It’s time for the Victorian government to change gear and focus on measures that will ensure safety while businesses operate because extending the shutdown cannot be a permanent solution.”
She said the tourism bodies had developed an alternate opening model based on “safe and staged processes” which had worked in other states.
After an initial, gentle reopening, numbers could be increased over future months if COVID case numbers remained stable, she said.
The tourism industry wanted travel restrictions removed by October 30 and tourism businesses to reopen with strict conditions in place, she said.
Kate Smith, chair of Meetings and Events Australia, said organisers of major business events already kept detailed registration information on delegates that could help contract tracing, with technology such as apps and wearables to police social distancing.
Accommodation Association chief Dean Long said it was “time for a more commonsense approach that strikes a better balance”.
“The reality is that unless this happens sooner rather than later, more businesses including hotels and accommodation providers will be forced to shut their doors for good,” he said.
TIME TO WINE DOWN WITH OUTDOOR TASTING
Wineries will be rolling out the picnic rugs when the weather warms up, as tastings on the lawn replace sips and spits at the cellar door.
With COVID restrictions limiting guests inside winery venues, taking tastings outdoors would be the key to keeping the barrel rolling in regional Victorian wineries, industry insiders said.
While weddings and concerts at wineries would probably be delayed “until people can hug and dance again”, most wine makers had a glass half-full attitude to returning to tastings and serving food among the vines, Moorabool Valley winery owner, Scott Austin, said.
The owner of Austin’s Wines and past president of the Geelong Wine Association said most wineries were fortunate to have plenty of outdoor space and beautiful views, which made adapting to COVID rules comparatively easy.
‘A picnic model’ would be popular this spring and summer, with patrons encouraged to sit on rugs on winery lawns and enjoy a glass (or bottle) of wine in the sun, with food purchased from food trucks or cafes and restaurants on site, Mr Austin said.
“Wineries feel they’ve got the space and scope to accommodate people in a way that’s safe,” he said.
MORE NEWS:
SEE WHERE YOU COULD GO UNDER POTENTIAL 20KM BUBBLE