The chief executive of the Council of Small Businesses of Australia says Westfield's plan to extending holiday trading hours comes at a cost to his members.
"It might mean the customer they expect for Christmas might disappear and wander off into the shopping mall," Mr Strong said.
Westfield announced one of its Sydney shopping centres will stay open for 34 hours of trading just days before Christmas.
"If you're a small business in a shopping centre, you are very much beholden to the landlord and you do as you're told or they're going to fine you," he said.
John Page, who co-owns a bookstore in Sydney, says his family was well aware of the influence big shopping centres have on the retail landscape when they looked for a location to set up shop.
"Not having a shopping centre close to us was one of the big factors in why we're in the location we're in, because it means we don't have to compete directly with their cut-price discounting and those hours that they put in," Mr Page said.
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