ROS DE SOUZA is a former Fremantle Citizen of the Year and a living local legend. She’s made it her mission to drag Freo up by its bootstraps until it starts showing some of the shine of its glory years. When she’s not giving empty shopfronts some pizzazz with artworks, she can usually be found cleaning up somebody’s pub crawl mess.
SUNDAY of the long weekend and the weather is sublime.
People are strolling, pausing and enjoying the ambience of the village within a town within the City of Fremantle.
I marvel at the layering of small unique businesses where independent retailers constantly generate opportunities to thrive and serve their customer base.
Cultural vibrancy and authenticity are Fremantle’s brand. Places like ceramic studios, flea markets and niche fashion shops draw locals and tourists alike.
They offer experiential retail, not just product sales, reflecting community values, creativity and heritage.
But, we have a problem in our midst.
THE PROBLEM:
Soon to be 14 tobacco outlets/convenience stores in the CBD within a 500-metre radius. This is not just over saturation – it’s urban negligence.
Most of these shops sell imported sugar-heavy snacks such as American candy (some varieties being banned in the UK), vapes and cigarettes and caffeine drinks –all with dubious health impacts.
They cater to impulse purchases, not community needs.
They contribute little to no character and nothing unique to Fremantle’s identity.
Worse, six schools are within reach.
The density of these stores potentially normalises poor lifestyle choices for youth.
The visible litter and vape waste are signs of this unhealthy (and illegal) retail culture bleeding into public space.
THE CONTRAST:
Managed retail in centres like Booragoon.
Would Booragoon tolerate this as a strategic business plan? Absolutely not.
Professional managers who are able to control retailers to keep the standard high tightly curate shopping centres.
Granted, shopping centres like Booragoon are privately owned: However, there is no reason why similar retail guideline for cities couldn’t be developed in order to avoid oversupply of similar businesses and vetting those selling dubious content.
This would:
• Maintain a brand image;
• Ensure retailers complement each other and the customer experience;
• Fremantle, as a city precinct, deserves no less strategic overview!
• Too many identical shops cannibalise business and brand value and foot traffic suffers.
WHO’S DROPPING THE BALL?
City of Fremantle: Claimed ignorance when there were already eight such stores. I reiterate: the CBD will soon have 14 outlets within a 500 metre radius, some less than 30 metres apart!
WA State Government: Lacks pro-active frameworks and this will sadly lead us down the convenience store “rabbit hole” with the dire consequences currently experienced in SA, NSW and Victoria.
By-laws to cap retail saturation by type (such as massage and tattoo parlours or vape stores) are entirely possible.
Bottle shops and chemists are required to be licensed and regulated yet convenience stores are in most cases un-regulated outlets for restricted or harmful products. This disparity is policy failure.
WHO BENEFITS FROM THIS SETUP?
Landlords with deep pockets receiving top rates and advance rental payments.
Operators: Often acting on behalf of silent investors or overseas capital and not contributing to Fremantle’s community fabric.
Meanwhile, other shop owners suffer – facing higher insurance, less foot traffic and a shifting public perception of Fremantle as declining.
YOUR VOICE MATTERS:
Fremantle must not become a dumping ground for low-value retail. It’s a cultural beacon and your advocacy is crucial in preserving that. Raise this with your federal, state and local government agency and do not be fobbed off. Otherwise, we will get the city we do not deserve.
You can find the email addresses for federal Fremantle MP Josh Wilson, state Fremantle MLA Simone McGurk and City of Fremantle CEO Glen Dougall online.
