Perth Market Trends Shift Amid Outages: What Businesses Need to Know Right Now

Perth retailers recorded a 17 percent drop in card transactions on 8 July after the Telstra outage blocked EFTPOS terminals from Murray Street Mall to the Subiaco Square markets.

The timing matters because many operators had just finalised winter stock orders and marketing calendars based on steady June figures. Any repeat interruption risks pushing small margins into the red before the September quarter reporting deadline.

Businesses clustered along St Georges Terrace and inside the Northbridge laneways felt the pinch first, with several cafes reporting they could not process lunch orders until after 2 pm. The Perth Chamber of Commerce noted that at least 40 member firms in those two precincts activated manual receipt books for the first time in three years.

Payment and logistics data

Reserve Bank figures released on 7 July showed Perth point-of-sale volumes averaged 2.4 million transactions daily in the preceding month, worth $118 million. Yesterday’s outage wiped out roughly one in six of those sales for several hours, according to terminal providers servicing the CBD. Transport operators on the Fremantle line also lost real-time ticketing links, compounding delays for shift workers heading to industrial sites in Welshpool.

Immediate steps for operators

Firms should test dual-SIM routers this week and keep printed price lists on hand for the next 30 days. The state government’s small-business advisory service at 140 St Georges Terrace is offering free connectivity audits until 23 July. Checking backup battery levels for point-of-sale units and confirming insurance clauses covering network outages are the two actions most likely to limit losses if similar glitches recur before the end of the financial year.

This article is general information only and is not personal financial or investment advice. Consider your own circumstances and seek licensed professional advice before making financial decisions.