Sunny, Damian, and Anshal, from Liquor Barons Esperance, reached out to Canford in late 2025 to assist with acquiring an extended trading permit to allow them to trade on Sundays. 

Unlike liquor stores located within the Perth metropolitan area, regional liquor stores are prohibited from trading on Sundays under the Act – Section 98D(2). Regional liquor stores have no automatic entitlement to open on Sundays and must seek approval from the Department if they wish to extend their trading hours.

Our application focused on demonstrating that Sunday trading would provide a genuine benefit to the local community.We worked closely with Sunny, Damian, and Anshal to gather evidence showing that there was strong support from local residents as well as positive feedback from community members who would benefit from improved convenience. We also presented the absence of adverse impacts on neighbouring businesses or community amenity; and that responsible service of alcohol practices would continue to be maintained.

Regional communities often have different shopping patterns, tourism demands and service expectations than metropolitan areas. Sunday trading can improve convenience for residents, visitors and shift workers while supporting local economic activity.