Floods hit Queensland retailers

Flooding rains in south-east Queensland have had a devastating effect on many shopkeepers.

“One in three retailers is under severe financial pressure as a result of the economic downturn and the loss of two or three days trade could prove too much to bear,” says Queensland Chamber of Commerce executive, Nick Behrens.

Retailers Association executive director Scott Driscoll also says the sector was enduring a tough week, and some retailers might not survive.

“We had the teachers’ strike Tuesday which really hit us hard, now it’s the floods that have kept people away,” Driscoll says. “Retailers’ bottom lines are being savagely attacked at a time when they can least afford it.”

He said businesses were suffering from absent staff as well as customers being unable to shop.

“It’s not a good set of circumstances. We’re getting hit from all angles,” Driscoll says. “We needed this like a hole in the head.”

Inside Retailing

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