Plan for extra sidewalk sales

Andrew Mathieson
Central Geelong could host sidewalk sales on more public holidays after record shopper attendance at this week’s event on Melbourne Cup day.
Central Geelong Marketing has earmarked Easter Tuesday next year for the second run of the popular sales.
More than 140 city retailers – up from 123 last year – participated in Tuesday’s Geelong Sidewalk Sales.
Central Geelong Marketing executive officer Jodie Smith-Reyntjes said the Sidewalk Sales committee was investigating further options for extra days.
Committee members’ only concern was that adding days to the Sidewalk Sales calendar could weaken the appeal of the event, she said.
“The committee is looking at running another event, potentially around the Easter period at this stage,” Ms Smith-Reyntjes said.
“We certainly want to ensure it retains a signature event status.”
Mrs Smith-Reyntjes said Central Geelong Marketing spent about $25,000 a year promoting the sale day, which features participating businesses moving stock out onto the streets.
A survey last year found that the sale injected more than $1.1 million back into the city’s retail coffers.
“We’re definitely getting good feedback because we went out and asked the businesses and they’re quite happy to have them more than once a year,” Mrs Smith-Reyntjes said.
Participating retailers had to address issues such as employing extra staff, securing their stock and protecting against theft, while weather was also a concern, she said.
Central Geelong revived the Sidewalk Sales concept on Melbourne Cup day in 2003, which attracted almost 100 traders.
Mrs Smith-Reyntjes said the stalls had been a Geelong institution in “one form or another” for more than two decades.
She hoped the sales could contribute to reviving the city’s main thoroughfares of Moorabool, Malop and Ryrie streets, which were struggling to fill all commercial premises.
Many leading city business figures expressed concern about the streets to the Independent in August, calling for a dramatic shift in thinking to draw visitors back to the central city area.
“There are many people who are enthusiastic about the future of central Geelong and the committee is working very hard to run a whole range of events that bring people in,” Mrs Smith-Reyntjes said.