While a number of regional shopping centres in Perth will undergo major expansion projects this year, the port city of Fremantle is working hard to keep its head above water in the retail stakes.
While a number of regional shopping centres in Perth will undergo major expansion projects this year, the port city of Fremantle is working hard to keep its head above water in the retail stakes.
Over the past 10 years, Fremantle’s retail floor space has reportedly declined by 18 per cent, due in part to the retail revolution happening in nearby suburban areas such as Booragoon, Phoenix, South Lakes, Kwinana, Cockburn, and Claremont.
In recent months, Fremantle’s entire population of big whitegoods retailers- Harvey Norman on Queen Street and Retravision on High Street - have moved out, while plans are afoot for retailer Spotlight to move from Adelaide Street to a purpose-built store in Myaree.
Fremantle Chamber of Commerce president, and Morrison International director, Richard Poulson, said retail space was going backwards in Fremantle, and the sporadic nature of retailing in the city was not helping.
He said retail rents had become relatively expensive compared to regional centres, and this could have helped force the hand of those moving out.
“If more retailers had the chance to get in [to Fremantle], they should look at it. There’s nothing wrong with the shopper traffic,” he said.
“The high street is really gaining momentum, but Fremantle needs critical mass and greater connectivity to get people to walk down there. Retail breeds retail.”
Chamber retail committee chair Anthony Vergona, and owner of the Fremantle House store, said it was hard for Fremantle retailers to compete with centres such as Garden City in Booragoon because shoppers could find everything under one roof.
Many retailers in the city had to work seven days a week and most public holidays to stay ahead of the regional stores and make a living, he said.
“We know there are challenges, but council must be more forward thinking…there are many people in Fremantle who are resistant to change. But if we stay complacent, Fremantle is going to resemble a residential retirement village in a few years.”
Fremantle mayor Peter Tagliaferri said despite the exodus, retail space in the city remained tightly held and there was still enormous demand for space.
“Since 1986, we’ve been trying to move away from that ‘tourist destination’ tag but it’s been a gradual evolution,” he said.
“There’s a real melting pot of development projects on the boil at the moment so I think the retail sector is on the right track.”
Among the retail projects in the pipeline, ING Real Estate’s Victoria Quay redevelopment plan is expected to deliver some 12,000 square metres of retail space, in addition to 14,000sq m of office space by 2010.
Mr Tagliaferri said council was committed to revitalising its East End, with the development of a mixed-use retail/office and residential complex of up to five storeys on the Point Street carpark and Port Cinema sites.
He said the arrival of Woolworths in December and specialty retailers on the former Ross’s hardware site, owned by Saracen Properties, would give the retailing sector a kick start, as would the introduction of Friday night trading in about two months time.
