community champions For decades, one regional business has been quietly putting the ‘heart’ in community, and that’s how they like it. Since long before a global pandemic put the focus on staying connected in our communities, locally owned retailer Champions IGA has been supporting local business and community. Being a business with a social conscience has seen it remain in good standing during the extremely challenging retail environment presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent panic-buying experienced in the past 12 months. As some supermarkets struggled to keep shelves stocked with product lines being sourced from overseas, Champions mitigated that issue by continuing to source lines, including fresh meat and delicatessen products, direct from local producers and
makers. Don KR, Hazeldene’s, JL King and Keans Eggs are just some of the many local producers that have a strong presence in the stores. Recent redevelopments at the Long Gully and Heathcote sites have allowed for more opportunities to source and support smaller regional businesses, with the likes of Bendigo Brittle and Collins Honey being added to the great range of products available. Excitingly, these developments have also seen the introduction of in-house freshly made popcorn, peanut butter and orange juice, and an extension to the already impressive selection of fresh cut cheeses that offers lines seldom found outside Melbourne, whilst continuing to provide some of the best-quality meat in
Bendigo from the in-house butcher. “We always try to do our bit for small business. We are not a large conglomerate so we understand the importance of buying and supporting local,” says Michael Zervakis, Champions IGA chief executive officer. “By supporting local, we have also positioned ourselves as having some grocery lines that are not available elsewhere. We also know that our customers want to support local and see us as the place to come and buy local goods and do their bit to help small business. Our motto is ‘how the locals like it’, so it is a win-win – we support business to deliver on customer needs, and our customers remain loyal because of that common-sense approach.” 69
