Thursday 27 May 2021
The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) said the Victorian lockdown is a devastating blow for retailers, and consumer and business confidence and again highlights the threat of Covid is far from over.
ARA CEO Paul Zahra said the seven-day lockdown is set to cost over a billion dollars in terms of lost retail trade.
"We support the Victorian Government in their response to keep the community safe, but we can't ignore the significant impact this lockdown will have on retailers, the Melbourne CBD and small businesses in particular," Mr Zahra said.
"Victorians have been to hell and back over the past year or so, and just when we thought the worst of Covid was behind us, it's reared its head again mid-year.
"Businesses no longer have JobKeeper support payments available to them and Victorian small businesses in particular will be under significant stress - this is a huge blow to their confidence.
"A seven-day lockdown is expected to cost retailers over a billion dollars in terms of lost trade. This isn't just a financial cost - it's a social one as well. This lockdown will have an enormous impact on people's health and wellbeing and will shatter fragile confidence levels for the second half of the year. This will also set back the valiant efforts of State and local government to restore confidence and foot traffic within Melbourne's hard-hit CBD.
"Online, click and collect and home delivery is still available in Victoria and we encourage people to use those options for getting the goods and services they need.
"Most retailers have an online sales platform, so if there's items you would normally buy in store - check out the online purchase, collection and delivery options they might have."
The ARA has called for focused efforts to bolster vaccinations and improve contact tracing within Victoria, along with targeted support to continue for small business and Melbourne's CBD in light of this major set-back.
