HIGH STREET landlords are going to be more discerning about who rents their shops, from now on.
No more $2 shops and other tacky outlets says Anthony Van Der Wielen, who manages the Manning family’s extensive holdings in the street.
He says landlords agree with the council that the mall needs to freshen up and they have a part to play in it.
Big brands, restaurants and local boutique shops are likely to get the nod, he says.
“We want to attract more people here so it’s just as busy as the cappuccino strip,” he told the Herald.
“At the moment we’re mostly just getting foot traffic from nine to five on weekdays.”
• Fremantle Property Services director Anthony Van Der Wielen, who manages the Manning family’s side of the mall, with mayor Brad Pettitt. Photo by Emmie Dowling
One idea is to transform the William and Adelaide Streets corner, opposite the town hall, into an alfresco food hub. That’ll mean shuffling some existing stores around.
To help attract retailers, more than $1 million is being spent on sprucing up shopfronts. Work includes paint jobs on exteriors, retiling and refitting.
Mr Van Der Wielen is working with property owners Joseph Geha and Gerard O’Brien and the council to get the mall brightened up before Christmas.
Ratepayers are pitching in with $275,000 for upgrades like new street furniture and lights.
Mayor Brad Pettitt says it’s important that major stakeholders be on the same page when it comes to realising the mall’s future.
by EMMIE DOWLING
The two dollar pllus shop may not be classy but I do miss it a lot when I want the hundreds of things they used to sell from cheap specs to cheap padlocks and cheap tools and cheap kitchen stuff There is happily a new cheapo shop in the Woolstores but it has not got so much choice [yet] and is not handy. A Freo where you don’t have to go choofing off East North or South for hardware would be nice as well as the posh shops!!!!