4 minute read
Western Downs stores looking to improve sustainability
VICTORIA NATIONAL QUEENSLAND
Travel 2 hours west of Brisbane through the Toowoomba shire, and you will arrive in the Western Downs Regional LGA. A Shire which amazingly covers an area the size of Switzerland, thrives with its primary industries being Agriculture (beef, sheep and goats), forestry, broadacre grain and cotton and fishing.
The growth in the general population comes with the challenge of the large national retailers moving in on the space of the local Independent Grocery store.
One of the ways to handle the challenge is to band together and face the task head-on. Around 70 years ago, a group of Dalby locals formed the Western Downs cooperative that is still alive and trading today. The first acquisition for these 600+ shareholders was a grocery store known as the Dalby Foodworks located opposite a McDonalds with an Aldi store directly behind. A town of around 13,000 people, the independent store also has competition from both Coles and Woolworths.
The Western Downs cooperative is known for supporting the local communities and purchased a second store in Tara. The outlet, recently updated in 2018 with a purpose-built state of art 2000 sqm building behind the existing site. Sales from this $5m investment have been exciting. The local community supports the bold move to develop a greenfield site in a community of fewer than 2500 people with an ageing demographic. The latest group acquisition was 12 years ago in the township of Milmerran at the southern end of the shire. This site was previously a hardware and produce building and features murals
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on the exterior wall depicting the heritage of the Milmerran site as a Dairy Co-op association established in 1936. The township of Milmerran has less than 2000 people and another independent IGA supermarket to service the local community. Reasons for Success
Like many Independent supermarkets finding that point of difference to tackle the larger competitors is not always easy. However, the Western Downs cooperative can boast of having loyal customer service focused staff second to none. Their management team comprises Group manager Nicole based at Dalby with 29 years of service, Benita at Tara with 19 years of service, having been with the coop since 14 years of age and Trudi at Milmerran, who relocated to the town to take up this position.
Another reason is adapting to areas and categories that the competitors can’t and being nimble in the process. Whilst having the normal range of grocery categories, the stores have a unique offering of convenient, readyto-eat foods. The local Delizia Gelato is a good example of this, available in a single scoop or take-home pack. Customers queue up at lunchtime for these products. Interestingly the group doesn’t have a standout trading day, with sales well balanced across the week. Sustainability
In recent times all three stores have embarked on implementing refrigeration upgrades to encompass enclosed units with large shopper-friendly glass doors across most categories.
This has helped minimise Organic waste by keeping items fresher for longer. The Glass doors have also reduced power bills and the groups’ impact on Carbon emissions.
The Foodworks group of stores is looking further into becoming more sustainable, focusing on reducing their waste and implementing the Battery drop off campaign for their loyal customers. Whilst looking to minimise waste reduction by recycling and reusing as much as possible, the implementation of Cardboard, Plastic and organic waste initiatives is currently being reviewed with program deployment in the near future.
Being in a rural community, the group believes it is important to treat waste with respect, and the future looks promising for the community-based Western Downs cooperative.
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