Behind every shopfront is a business owner juggling decisions, pressures and possibilities – and last year, more of them spoke up than ever before.
The City of Stonnington has released a snapshot from its latest Business Health Survey, and the response has been significant. A record 864 local business owners took part – a 34% increase on the last survey in 2023.
That level of participation matters. It tells a clear story: local businesses want to be heard, and they’re willing to share what’s working, what’s challenging, and where support could make a real difference.
The 2025/2026 snapshot pulls together key insights from across the municipality, helping paint a more realistic picture of business conditions on the ground. These insights will be used by Council’s Economic Development team to shape future support services – ideally making them more relevant, more targeted, and more useful for the businesses they’re designed to help.
For precincts like Toorak Road South Yarra, this kind of feedback is essential. Strong shopping streets rely on healthy businesses, and healthy businesses rely on policies and support that reflect real-world conditions – not assumptions.
It’s encouraging to see so many local voices contributing to the conversation. Because the better the understanding, the better the outcomes – for individual businesses and for the street as a whole.