Western Australian retailers are preparing to open their doors on Sundays, after legislation ushering in historic changes to retail trading hours passed through parliament yesterday.
Commerce Minister Simon O’Brien said the new laws gave all general retail shops the right to open on Sundays, between 11am and 5pm.
Special trading precincts in Perth, Fremantle, Midland, Armadale and Joondalup will be abolished to create a level playing field for retailers, Mr O’Brien said.
Chamber of Commerce chief executive James Pearson said the introduction of Sunday trading had strong support from business and consumers alike, and was a political decision worth celebrating.
“This change will also help create more jobs for workers who want the flexibility of working on weekends, or existing employees looking for more work,” Mr Pearson said in a statement.
Retail Traders Association executive director Wayne Spencer also welcomed Sunday trading as a boon for local retailers, but warned that retailers needed to carefully plan stocks and rosters to be open seven days of the week.
He said the RTA would work to help retailers transition the changes by sponsoring a series of seminars designed to help businesses re-engage with consumers.
“The programme provides retailers with practical advice on sales and marketing techniques that can be used to re-engage with shoppers,” Mr Spencer said.
