A last-minute reprieve from Melbourne City Council has allowed long-time kiosk operator Peter Kennedy to remain at his post – for now.
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Mr Kennedy has run the kiosk, located on Collins Street near Spring Street, for the past 25 years. But the continuing decline in people buying newspapers and magazines has meant he has struggled to keep the business afloat.
He wanted to add illuminated advertising from the Regent Theatre to help pay his rent but the council had knocked back the request.
He had planned to close his business on Friday but negotiations with the council have allowed Mr Kennedy to stay.
"The council have been in touch and we're trying to figure out the advertising," he said. "We've been at it for about a year and we're just trying to come to a solution.
"I think the council will agree to the advertising, so basically I need to talk to the Regent Theatre or maybe get somebody else on board."
Business mentoring offer
One of those incentives is a free business mentorship but Mr Kennedy added that recent media exposure had helped.
"The thing is, I've had a gutful of it. I haven't been eating or sleeping," he said about how he felt in the lead-up to the possible closure. "But I know a lot of people around here and so many sent emails to the council and really stuck behind me."
Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said he was pleased the long-term retailer had taken up the business mentoring offer.
"I hope that this assistance will help him to make his business viable."
Operators are granted the rights to run a council-owned kiosk for a five-year period and must abide by a strict set of rules about what is allowed to be sold. Newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, chocolate and lollies, soft and energy drinks all have the green light, but kiosks are banned from offering fresh flowers and fruit.
The council is responsible for the 14 kiosks dotted along Melbourne's city streets, two of which are currently unoccupied.
A council spokeswoman said the council fully supports kiosks remaining as part of the landscape.
"Street kiosks are an important part of Melbourne and we would like to see their continued existence. Some of these kiosks have been a part of our city streets for several decades and contribute a valuable social element," she said.
