Businesses buoyed by early sales as shoppers out in force to enjoy relaxed restrictions

Australians reacted to the government green light for relaxing COVID-19 restrictions by stepping out in big numbers at shops over the weekend.

Catherine Cassimatis and John Wisselink talking to retail assistant Marco Vella while maintaining social distancing at Great Dane Picture: Jane Dempster

Australians reacted to the government green light for relaxing COVID-19 restrictions by stepping out in big numbers at shops over the weekend, with retailers claiming sales for the first few days of reopening for business could beat trade figures for the same time last year.

Retail groups reported especially high demand in NSW and Victoria, possibly because shutdowns had been strictest in these states.

While it is too early to confirm sales figures, business owners reported high volumes of shoppers and an acceptance they needed to queue outside to meet the continued observance of social distancing rules.

Australian Retail Association chief executive Paul Zahra said the return of shoppers — at the start of the first stage of national cabinet’s three-step economic recovery plan — had been very positive and run smoothly.

Mr Zahra, formerly CEO of David Jones, said reports from some retailers indicated trading could have been even higher than for the same period 12 months ago.

One noticeable feature was the high volume in clothing sales of pyjamas, tracksuit pants, casual shoes and winter woollens compared with suits and other “career wear”. “It suggests that people are thinking they will be working from home for a while, and it’s influencing their purchasing decisions,” he said.

Another unusual aspect of this weekend’s shopping was the willingness of people to queue. “They are willing to wait in social distance queues, get hand sanitiser on the way in, knowing that once they are in, they have a pleasant experience ahead so long as they keep social distancing at play,” he said.

As shops and restaurants reopened, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard sounded a warning about what he called “the great NSW bust-out” that could leave many people “sitting ducks” if they rewarded themselves by venturing out but caught the virus, which he said remained “extremely dangerous”. “We all deserve it, we’ve all worked very hard at it. So I don’t want to dissuade people from enjoying what is a fantastic state, and at the moment, fantastic weather for this time of the year,” he said.

“But I also do want to remind people that this virus is extremely dangerous, and we are all — every one of us — sitting ducks for this virus.”

An estimated 80 per cent of retail stores opened for business over the weekend but some, especially smaller ones in large centres, decided to remain closed. The first stage of eased state-based restrictions, which began on Friday night, allowed cafes, restaurants, pubs and clubs to open to groups of 10 at a time — and a maximum of 20 in Western Australia.

Dominique Lamb, chief executive of the Brisbane-based National Retailers Association, said maximising the return to retail sales at close to normal demand would depend on food centres also being permitted to reopen because “foot traffic” went hand-in-hand with access to lifestyle.

Ms Lamb said the numbers of shoppers were “quite considerable”, but they had begun reappearing in high volumes the previous weekend in Sydney and Melbourne, while an increase in demand was not as marked in Brisbane. “I think people just wanted to get out and about, more so than in Queensland, but also the populations are more dense,” she said.

Despite optimism, retail groups expressed caution about staying afloat, saying it would depend on whether the Morrison government decided to retain the JobKeeper allowance in six months. Another uncertainty was the capacity to pay rents to landlords, with more than 55 per cent not reaching agreements on concessions to help cover shortfalls.

Nordic furniture shop Great Dane, in Sydney’s Paddington, received a flurry of customers shopping for couches and dining tables.

Shoppers Jorn Wisselink and Catherine Cassimatis helped Catherine’s parents Terry and Nick look for a new table.

“My parents have been looking for a dining table for some time, but haven’t been able to get out much as they are both over 70 and live in Bondi, which is a bit of a hotspot,” said Ms Cassimatis.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: LACHLAN MOFFET GRAY