Recent changes to Western Australia’s complicated retail trading laws have boosted the number of staff small retailers are allowed to have working on their shop floor by 30 per cent.
The WA Independent Grocers Association successfully lobbied the government to increase staff numbers late last year, with the change taking effect on May 11.
The restriction on staff numbers comes with a major benefit for the independent retailers – they are able to open late nights and on Sundays.
Instead of a maximum of 10 people allowed on the shop floor, independent retailers can now have 13 staff, excluding apprentices, to gain extended trading hour privileges.
WAIGA president John Cummings said the change was needed to allow small supermarkets to meet growing demand, particularly during normal weekday trading hours.
WAIGA had wanted the government to double the number of staff allowed to work on the floor. Mr Cummings said Queensland independent retailers were allowed to have 20.
“If it’s good enough for Queensland then why is it not good enough for WA?” Mr Cummings said.
But Mr Cummings is yet to increase staff numbers to 13 at any one time at his Duncraig supermarket. He said that was because the cooler weather reduced patronage and he needed to develop the roster system over time.
“I think the true benefit will come during mid-week trading in the summer months,” he said.
IGA South Perth owner Dominic Fernandes said he was now able to open an additional check-out register and put an extra staff member in the delicatessen during busy periods.
“We were really been under the pump with so little staff on the floor,” Mr Fernandes said.
But Sam Belladonna at IGA Wembley said the staff restrictions would need to be raised to 30 if his store was to benefit.
Mr Belladonna said he currently trades under “normal” trading hours just like Coles and Woolworths because his store was too large to operate under the current staff restrictions.
WA Business News revealed the independent retailers were in-line for a reprieve on staff restrictions in January. Retail Traders’ Association WA director Brian Reynolds told WA Business News at the time that WA’s retail laws “impeded growth”.
