The NRA’s bid to bring Sunday trading to the regional south-east Queensland town of Warwick came to fruition last Sunday, with eager shoppers at the ready for Rose City Shoppingworld’s 9am opening.
Of the centre’s 40 stores, anchor tenants Woolworths and Big W kicked off with solid trading, alongside a further 19 SMEs including locally-owned Funplus Electronics, where shoppers who preferred Sundays were pleased to be able to shop, catch up for coffee or breakfast in the centre with friends, or pick up the week’s groceries at their local stores, rather than having to travel out of town.
Almost 5000 customers – around 25 per cent below a standard Saturday trade – gave the first Sunday trade a go, with food retailers nabbing the highest level of sales across all categories.
The Woolworths team served almost 2000 customers, in excess of its expectations, and Big W enjoyed stronger foot traffic in its Warwick store than in its Dalby, Toowoomba and Redbank counterparts – a positive sign for tentative SMEs reliant on anchor tenants to bring in foot traffic.
The region’s Mayor Tracy Dobie noted an increase in CBD traffic, parking spaces filled up when they would normally be vacant, and a strong level of support from customers for the more flexible option.
For retail trading hours, policy and legal information, contact the NRA today on 1800 RETAIL (1800 738 245).