Deregulation of Shop Trading Hours

[mshagg]

Heh if that's his position then so be it.

What I don't get is how people can claim that it's a path for oligopolies to put their foot on the throat of independent retailers and then increase prices post-asphyxiation. Have they been interstate? Or overseas? I mean I've seen the excuses and explanations, but where are the examples...

Adelaide is the outlier in terms of restrictive trading hours and you wouldn't exactly say our retail sector is booming.

[SouthAussie94]

Heh if that's his position then so be it.

What I don't get is how people can claim that it's a path for oligopolies to put their foot on the throat of independent retailers and then increase prices post-asphyxiation. Have they been interstate? Or overseas? I mean I've seen the excuses and explanations, but where are the examples...

Adelaide is the outlier in terms of restrictive trading hours and you wouldn't exactly say our retail sector is booming.

I wouldn't say that we're the outlier in terms of trading hours. Germany and Austria have very minimal trading of Sundays.

You make a good point though, where is the evidence that prices will rise in the longer term from deregulated shopping hours? Have other cities experienced this, or is it simply fear mongering for smaller retailers?

[Maximus]

From a Canberra perspective... there are Coles and Woolies (and Aldi) at one end, and the small IGA, Spar or other random brand at the local shops at the other end, but not much else in between. There's no real Foodland-type equivalent, apart from some larger IGAs and a handful of Supabarns (many of which were bought out by Coles a couple of years ago).

Coles and Woolies are open until 11pm or midnight every day of the week, and the local IGA usually until 8pm or 9pm. Some of those small local shopping centres are quite vibrant, particularly in areas with a strong sense of community and/or not conveniently close to a major shopping centre, but many are struggling and some have been derelict for several years.

Does this result in higher prices? I have no idea. Although my feeling is that it actually makes the local IGA work harder to be competitive with the larger supermarkets. I also think the presence of Aldi is enough to keep Coles and Woolies 'honest' to a degree, not to mention the competition between Coles and Woolies themselves.

[Bacon]

I would say a particular purveyor of fine cigarettes, petroleum and doughnuts would have a lot to lose from deregulation.

[Verbatim9]

Hopefully the Government will be successful in implementing their retail policy for better retail trading hours 7 days a week.

https://www.stevenmarshall.com.au/shop_trading_hours

They also need to amend the Liquor Act to allow supermarkets the opportunity to be licensed

DEREGULATING SHOP TRADING HOURS

If elected in 2018 a Marshall Liberal Government will deregulate retail shop trading hours to allow businesses to remain open, South Australians to keep working and consumers to continue buying what they want, when they want.

How shop trading hour restrictions harm business and restrict choice

If we want South Australian businesses to compete in the 21st century, we need to remove outdated regulations that inhibit their growth.

We need our shop trading hours to reflect the society we live in.

We are now living in a fully globalised world: you can order food at the click of a button, you can buy clothes online in the middle of the night, you can book a hotel in London on your smart phone.

Currently, many stores in our prime shopping districts are not able to operate on Sunday mornings, public holidays, or be open past 5:00pm on weekends.

Years of dysfunctional and haphazard legislation have lead to bizarre regulations being imposed on our traders. For example, it is illegal to sell a car or boat on a Sunday or public holiday, but it is not illegal to sell hardware. Similarly, the current shop trading hour restrictions only apply to some prescribed shopping areas in the metro area, but not in most regional areas.

The law is so complex that many independent grocers have actually been trading unlawfully for up to 20 years.

Trading restrictions are placed on any supermarkets over 400 square metres, which includes most large supermarket chains and more than 50 per cent of our independent supermarkets in our suburbs.

Restricted trading hours are not reflective of how South Australians live their lives.

During the summer weekends especially, people like to stay out and about until later in the evening. Under the current laws, you are not able to visit some local supermarkets after 5:00pm, even though the streets are still busy and there are plenty of people who would like the opportunity.

This places unfair restrictions on local businesses who are unable to compete with smaller, 24-hour venues such as petrol stations and online traders.

South Australians deserve the opportunity to choose how and when they shop. Traders deserve the right to choose when they open and to take advantage of busy shopping periods. The current laws are embarrassing for locals and confusing for tourists. We need to change the way shop trading hours operate to bring South Australia into the 21st century.

Our plan to deregulate shop trading hours

If elected in 2018 a Marshall Liberal Government will deregulate retail shop trading hours to allow businesses to remain open, South Australians to keep working and consumers to continue buying what they want, when they want.

We will introduce amendments to the Shop Trading Hours Act to reduce red tape and liberalise trading hours based on the following principles:

Greater Adelaide Shopping District (CBD and suburbs) open Monday-Saturday – midnight to 9:00pm

Greater Adelaide Shopping District and CBD open Sunday and Public Holidays (except Christmas Day, Good Friday, Anzac Day morning) – midnight to 9:00pm

Proclaimed Shopping Districts open Monday-Saturday – midnight to 9:00pm

Proclaimed Shopping Districts open Sunday and Public Holidays (except Christmas Day, Good Friday, Anzac Day morning) – midnight to 9:00pm

These changes will provide an enormous boost to local business, greater choice and flexibility for consumers, and more opportunities for South Australians working in retail. This also means that local businesses will be able to employ more staff and create new jobs.

Our reforms will also extend to remove restrictions which previously prevented retailers from selling certain types of goods on Sundays and public holidays.

This means that you will be able to buy a car on a Sunday, if you so choose!

Extended trading hours will give retailers the ability to maximise busy shopping periods, such as the lead up to Christmas.

As outlined in our 2036 manifesto, we are committed to reversing the over regulation and excessive red tape burden that reduces the ability of our businesses to grow and create jobs, as well as regulation which unfairly restricts our choice.

These reforms to our shop trading hours are long overdue. We want to give choice back to South Australians.

[SBD]

Hopefully the Government will be successful in implementing their retail policy for better retail trading hours 7 days a week.

https://www.stevenmarshall.com.au/shop_trading_hours

They also need to amend the Liquor Act to allow supermarkets the opportunity to be licensed

How much different would it be for supermarkets to be allowed to be licensed? In Victoria, they seem to be, but it's still a separate room with a roller door connecting it to the rest of the supermarket. Here, we have BWS directly opposite the door to Woolworths, Drakes Cellarbrations just outside Drakes Foodland and Liquorland on the way from Coles to the carpark.

Would "allowing" supermarkets to be licensed lead to expecting supermarkets to be licensed soon after? In turn, that makes existing stand-alone bottle shops less viable, and pushes some other products out of the shop to make space for the beer and wine.

[rev]

Just allow all retail to open around the clock, every day of the year and be done with it.
The businesses which can justify staying open beyond 5-6pm, around the clock, etc, who can turn a profit, will do so. Those who can't, wont.
So bloody simple. Screw the self interested SDA and their Labor mates.

Maybe it'll create another 100 jobs, maybe it'll create 10,000.
End result is a more vibrant city as a whole, more people employed, more life and activity after "traditional hours".
Not to mention, when interstaters or tourists are in town, they wont get the impression this is a big over rated country town anymore. You know, by actually having the small things which make a city a city..

[bits]

Not to mention, when interstaters or tourists are in town, they wont get the impression this is a big over rated country town anymore.

What are the rules interstate?

From what I can find Vic, Tas and NSW have restrictions for Christmas Day, Good Friday and ANZAC Day but are otherwise not restricted.

ACT and NT have no trading restrictions.

Qld, WA and SA all have similar enough restrictions. All week days are limited, Sunday more limited.All 3 states appear similar in the hours allowed per day etc.
Extra restrictions on car/caravan/boat sales as a special category is normal.

[rev]

Not to mention, when interstaters or tourists are in town, they wont get the impression this is a big over rated country town anymore.

What are the rules interstate?

From what I can find Vic, Tas and NSW have restrictions for Christmas Day, Good Friday and ANZAC Day but are otherwise not restricted.

ACT and NT have no trading restrictions.

Qld, WA and SA all have similar enough restrictions. All week days are limited, Sunday more limited.All 3 states appear similar in the hours allowed per day etc.
Extra restrictions on car/caravan/boat sales as a special category is normal.

Brisbane and Perth aren't viewed as big country towns with a negative perception or image. Adelaide is.
It's not about what they are doing in Perth or Brisbane, but what can be done in Adelaide to improve the perceptions about Adelaide and it's image.

[Norman]

I personally see Perth as an oversized country town and Brisbane as an oversized tourist town, but that's just my opinion.

[Eurostar]

Mount Barker as I recall is exempt from urban trading hours rules, on public holidays Coles, Woolworths, IGA and Foodland open their doors, I think aldi and kmart majority of time open too. Many of the small stores dont open even though.

[Verbatim9]

Mount Barker as I recall is exempt from urban trading hours rules, on public holidays Coles, Woolworths, IGA and Foodland open their doors, I think aldi and kmart majority of time open too. Many of the small stores dont open even though.

Yes! They do have better 7 day trading hours. Seems silly that regional areas of SA have the privilege of better retail trading hours then their city counterparts.

[Jaymz]

Mount Barker as I recall is exempt from urban trading hours rules, on public holidays Coles, Woolworths, IGA and Foodland open their doors, I think aldi and kmart majority of time open too. Many of the small stores dont open even though.

Yes! They do have better 7 day trading hours. Seems silly that regional areas of SA have the privilege of better retail trading hours then their city counterparts.

Yep exactly. I lived in Victor Harbor in the late 90's and even back then Woolworths was open until 9pm every night of the week, when Adelaide was shut by 5pm. Just plain weird.

[Nort]

Makes sense if you think of it in terms of availability. If you live in suburban Adelaide and have an emergency need for some grocery item there is almost certain to be a small shop or large servo open within reasonable driving distance where you can get it. Not as likely in a regional area.

[Jaymz]

Makes sense if you think of it in terms of availability. If you live in suburban Adelaide and have an emergency need for some grocery item there is almost certain to be a small shop or large servo open within reasonable driving distance where you can get it. Not as likely in a regional area.

I guess, that is a fair point.

But if the purpose of shopping restrictions is mainly to protect small businesses, you'd think that regional areas would be the ones in need of that most of all.