Basil Zempilas, Lord Mayor of the City of Perth is wanting to grant CBD retailers the option to stay open past 5pm on weekdays.

“In part this is prompted by how busy our Friday and Saturday nights have been in the city and at the moment we haven’t kicked into our Christmas shopping hours and yet stores have to close at 5pm on a Saturday,” he told Oly.

“It does not make sense particularly when a, we have seen how busy the city is at 5pm on a Saturday and b, we are marketing ourselves around the world in a $15 million campaign as a state that is always on but at the same time the capital city of that state closes their shops at 5pm.

“That message is a mixed one.”

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