Teagan Bell
MILDURA business owners Andrew and Sharon Prothero say they have been victims of indecision by one of Australia’s biggest shopping centre operators.
The couple, who ran Mildura Central’s Juice Bar for about five years, were issued with a lease non-renewal notice six months ago.
But he said when the time came to negotiate the future of the business’s lease, Mr Prothero said he received no correspondence from local management or from the group that owns the centre.
Three weeks before the lease ended, Mr Prothero said, he hired a lawyer and received answers within 10 days.
“We were committed to staying on for another five years, but we just weren’t given that option,” he said.
“The response was basically, ‘No, we’re not renewing and we’ve got an alternative tenant for your site’.”
Mr Prothero said he believed his business was to be replaced by a Boost Juice franchise and that management had “held out on” its decision to renew his lease in case the franchise was not ready in time.
He said as a tenant he understood his business was at the mercy of the centre’s management decisions, but felt disheartened by the way things had been handled.
While the family opened another store on Fourteenth Street earlier this year, Mr Prothero said the Mildura Central site had been their main source of income and not bringing the staff to the new site was “another major disappointment”.
Mildura Central is owned by Vicinity Centres, which owns Melbourne’s Chadstone and many other Australian shopping centres.
In a Facebook post last week, the centre confirmed Boost Juice would be opening in Mildura Central soon.
Centre manager Leigh Fuller in a statement said introducing new retailers to the centre was part of its commitment to Mildura’s community.
“We don’t comment on the individual lease arrangements we have with any of our retail partners,” he said.
“Our aim is to meet the needs and expectations of our customers and our local community, which is why we’re always looking at ways to refresh our retailer mix.
“We’re looking forward to Boost Juice opening soon at Mildura Central and we are excited to be working with a local family to continue supporting jobs and using local fruit.
“We’re committed to ensuring Mildura Central, and the broader region, remains a thriving place to shop, dine, socialise and do business.”
