Business sweating on open borders for a school holidays treat
From state lockdowns to staff abuse, National Retail Association CEO Dominique Lamb says she has never seen the industry in such despair
A BROADBEACH small business owner is crossing his fingers for a border reopening in time for the September school holidays to provide a muchneeded boost.
And he’s not alone. National Retail Association chief executive Dominique Lamb fears many businesses will not survive to see the festive season.
“Every day, every hour, the situation is changing and we need to be there for our retailers,” she said.
“They are frontline workers as well and they are hurting.
“At the moment, a lockdown is announced somewhere in Australia about every three weeks.”
Broadbeach’s The Gelato Shop co-owner James Spittle said his business would be significantly affected if borders stayed shut in coming months.
“The NSW thing is not great – I’m hoping that eases before the school holidays because a lot of traffic during that period is from NSW and Victoria,” he said.
“We are doing OK – we’re not breaking records.
“We’re looking forward to the September school holidays to give us a boost.”
Meanwhile, the Covid situation in Sydney is showing no signs of letting up.
On Friday, Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed 170 new Covid-19 cases were detected in the previous 24 hours as strict new restrictions came into force in Sydney.
Of the new cases, 42 were infectious while in the community – a number that remains a key concern for NSW health authorities.
Ms Berejiklian did not mince her words, warning that those who broke the rules by protesting on Saturday could be signing a death sentence for their loved ones.
“Your actions will hurt, forget about the rest of us, but you could be taking the disease home and passing it on to your parents, your siblings, your brothers and sisters or anybody you might have limited contact with,” she said.
“Do not give those you love the most a death sentence.”
Queensland recorded two new Covid-19 cases overnight on Thursday, including one locally acquired case.
Health Minister Yvette D’Ath said the new community case was a 17-year-old female student from Indooroopilly State High School in Brisbane.
WITH national brands bleeding, executives in tears and employees copping abuse, Dominique Lamb has never seen her industry in such despair.
And that’s why the National Retail Association CEO is praying for a Christmas miracle.
While the holiday may be months away, retail preparation is already underway … but Dominique fears many businesses will not survive to see the festive season.
But she vows they will not go down without a fight.
The mother of two – her youngest born just last September in the midst of a hospital lockdown – is working around the clock, seven days a week, with her team, trying to find a way forward.
That’s no easy battle when the rules of engagement change almost hourly.
While Sydney is ground zero in this germ warfare, Dominique says Gold Coast retailers are reeling after Covid exposure sites were identified at Pacific Fair, Westfield Helensvale and Q Centre at Mermaid.
“Every day, every hour, the situation is changing and we need to be there for our retailers,” she says. “They are frontline workers as well and they are hurting.
“At the moment, a lockdown is announced somewhere in Australia about every three weeks. “Retail is worth more than $350bn to the Australian economy. It provides the country’s second-largest workforce, employs more young people than any other sector and is a key barometer to Australia’s broader economic outlook. “The reality is that even before the pandemic, we were not in a great place. There was the impact of the bushfires and we hadn’t seen that three per cent year-on-year increase that you need to stay alive.
“But what I’m seeing and hearing right now is just … it’s the worst I’ve ever experienced.
“I have never heard the level of despair that I heard last Thursday. I know that mum and dad small businesses are struggling, but right now we have national brands just screaming.
“Even in March 2020, before JobKeeper started, there was not this level of desperation.
“These are major retailers tearing their hair out about the future. It feels like they have lost hope. We’re well over a year into this and things have actually gone from bad to worse. It’s hard for them to stay positive – but we’re trying to help them, not just keep afloat, but to believe that better days are coming.”
To that end, the National Retail Association, in conjunction with the Franchising Council of Australia and the Australian Association of Convenience Stores, this week unveiled a five-point plan for business survival.
Dominique says while both state and federal governments have offered some relief, it is not enough – especially for cities like the Gold Coast which are suffering from decreased patronage due to lockdowns, but are not eligible for actual lockdown relief.
She says the NRA plan calls for a targeted JobKeeper 3.0 as well as emergency cash payments to have funds available to pay immediate creditors, rent and remain solvent.
The plan also calls for the Australian Taxation Office to defer lodgements and outstanding payments for debt-trapped businesses, as well as banking payment deferrals and a shortterm reinstatement of rental relief under the National Leasing Code of Conduct, which concluded in March this year with JobKeeper.
“We need support for businesses outside of the locked-down regions. They are still feeling the impact of those restrictions,” she says.
“Even when the current lockdowns end, there
will still be pain for many businesses.
“It’s not like flicking a switch and the day after restrictions are eased the business landscape just reverts to normal.”
And now the cloud of Covid is threatening to cancel Christmas.
Dominique says August 1 is the official start of seasonal preparations, beginning with the employment of casual staff.
“This could really have ripple effects. Retailers in lockeddown areas are unlikely to have a regular cash flow from their stores until September – and the reality is probably longer.
“That pushes out preparations and employment, so we’re really going to see the national economy take a hit from the NSW lockdown.
“Of course we support following the health directives, but we have to be aware that this is causing another crisis that could really affect the country’s Christmas. Less people employed means less people shopping and it’s a vicious circle.”
Dominique says it’s not the only vicious factor in play, with retail staff reporting record levels of abuse.
She says retail workers should not have to endanger their physical and mental health just by reporting to their workplace. “There has been a massive spike in violence and abuse from customers.
“Staff are simply following the rules, they have to ask customers to scan QR codes, to wear masks or to wait outside due to numbers.
“They are there every day, putting themselves at risk, helping our businesses and economy, trying to feed their families and the last thing they need is abuse.
“From my observations I do find the anger and the short fuses are directly related to fiup nancial stress. As the lockdowns get announced, you can feel the tension rising and it’s symptomatic of the strain. But it’s no excuse and it’s not good enough.”
Dominique says the only solution to the retail catastrophe is mass vaccination.
She says the already stymied rollout of Covid immunisations has been further complicated by the demographics of the retail workforce.
“The bulk of our labour force is under 40,” says Dominique, who is under 40 and unvaccinated herself. “I’ve been trying to get vaccinated so I know just how hard it is.
“But the only real light at the end of the tunnel is vaccinations, that’s the only thing that will stop lockdowns, so we have to keep trying.
“It’s such a complicated issue because nobody wants to force people to get vaccinated and we don’t want to discriminate, but we also need our places of business to be safe and open.
“Our staff are frontline workers – they are dealing with the public in close quarters every day so we need to get this done as fast as we can.
“Of course, at the same time we realise this is no easy feat. Our members are trying to step – we have a number of larger retailers who are offering to set up vaccination hubs for employees, but that gets complicated in terms of red tape and legalities as well.
“We just have to trust that the government is doing the best that they can and hopefully we’ll see some new vaccines approved by the TGA soon which will get things moving.”
While it still seems a long shot to be out from under this Covid cloud by Christmas, Dominique herself is proof you can beat the odds.
“I was raised in a part of Sydney that’s on the lower end of the socio-economic scale, I was raised by a single mother, neither of my parents went to university, I’m under 40 and have two young children … statistics say I shouldn’t be where I am,” says Dominique, an industrial relations lawyer who became CEO of the NRA five years ago.
“It’s been a lot of hard work but also a lot of help from so many people who taught me to never say no to an opportunity, no matter how difficult it seems. From the board, to my husband, to our nanny … the support has been amazing.
“It’s still not common to see female CEOs, but the number is growing and it’s fantastic to see the tide turn.”
When it comes to changing the course of Covid and its impact not just on the retail industry but the entire economy, Dominique says we all can do our part.
From vaccinations to supporting local businesses to simply being kind, she says it's the smallest acts that can have the biggest impact.
“Every vaccine, every dollar, every smile counts,” she says.
In this painful pandemic, it’s the definition of retail therapy.
There has been a massive spike in violence and abuse from customers