Melbourne s Queen Victoria Market. Source: Unsplash/Linda Xu
Industry group leaders have appealed to the government for a boost in urgent support to businesses struggling under the current prolonged lockdowns in Sydney and Melbourne, with calls for the return of JobKeeper, leasing support, and a stimulus package.
Government assistance is urgently needed for businesses in NSW and Victoria, according to the National Retail Association (NRA), Franchise Council of Australia (FCA), and Australian Convenience Stores Association (AACS).
The coalition of peak industry bodies released a statement on Thursday, saying businesses in Australia’s two largest states were ‘desperate’ for additional government support.
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Source: Unsplash/Kentaro Toma.
Though affected by lockdown in Victoria, Australian retail turnover rose 0.4% in May 2021 compared on a month-on-month basis and 7.7% on a year prior, according to the latest ABS data.
The result follows a massive jump in yearly sales in April, as the industry cycled out the initial impact of the COVID-19 lockdown in April 2020.
“The May results are very good for retail, with a strong increase on the April results which is also promising when you consider the month is generally a quiet one for the sector,” NRA chief executive Dominique Lamb said.
“It shows that when the economy is relatively open that business is going well, but as the recent spate of state lockdowns has shown there remains uncertainty.”