‘Heartbreaking’: Melbourne stores bite the dust as workers stay home

Chelsea McIntosh will shut down her gift shop in Melbourne’s CBD this week after 15 years in business due to declining sales and high costs, warning that the retail sector has become a brutal scene.

This will be the sixth Spoilt Gift & Homewares store she has shut down in the city since COVID-19, with a once 48-strong staff roster across eight sites reduced to 12.