The Shopping Centre Council of Australia has been given the okay for its casual mall licensing code of practice until 31 December 2017.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission granted the Council authorisation, following having previously authorised a similar code of conduct in 2007, which expired on 31 December 2012.
The code relates to casual mall licensing, which involves the granting of a right to occupy part of the common area of a shopping centre for a short period of time (up to 180 days but normally less than one month) – usually for product launches and demonstrations, stock clearance sales and brand awareness campaigns.
The Code is a voluntary code and is based on a casual mall licensing code enacted by the South Australian Government in 2002.
“The ACCC considers the Code is likely to continue to result in public benefits by striking a balance between providing certainty and transparency for permanent retail tenants and also providing shopping centres with flexibility to introduce casual mall licensees within a shopping centre,” Michael Schaper, ACCC deputy chair, said.
“This will allow small businesses to make better informed business decisions as there will be certainty regarding matters that may affect their tenancy arrangements.”