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The
Weekly Advertiser Wednesday, September 18, 2013 ● Phone 5382 1351 ● Vol. 16 No. 12
A Publication from your local Radio Stations 3WM and Mixx FM
www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
AUDITED 23,364
October 2012 to March 2013
ARARAT
Mitre10 transformation for Ararat community A
freshly revamped Mitre10 store in Ararat reflects the latest in modern customer-friendly and convenient shopping as well as a family passion for the region. Ararat Mitre10, now David O. Jones Mitre10, Ararat, has undergone a nine-month transformation as part of a massive renovation project. The phase, which the Jones family launched when they took over the business in early January this year, has involved a comprehensive overhaul, which includes a massive product-range extension and heavily reduced pricing. The store has also responded to need to increase customer service for the Ararat community by employing extra staff. David, Margaret, Simon and Rhian Jones bought the business off Max and Bernadette Perovich, guaranteeing the store remained a family-owned business. David and Margaret have been in the hardware or grocery business
for 41 years, with 32 of those years owning and operating Mitre10 in Stawell.
Son Simon entered the business full time in 1999 and his wife Rhian worked in the business from 2005 until the birth of children Eve and Ethan. Chris, another of David and Margaret’s sons, owns Horsham Mitre10. Simon said the Perovichs had owned and operated the Ararat business for more than 20 years. “We thank them for all their hard work in preparing the business to make the transition as easy as possible,” he said. “We also acknowledge their tireless work in the community over the years and wish them the best in their future endeavors.”
move made sense,” he said.
“The many similarities between the two towns made Ararat an obvious direction to expand and we believed that Ararat deserved better. “We saw an opportunity to take a business in need of some revitalisation and we are enjoying the challenge of implementing this transformation. “We hope to provide a retail store that keeps our customers in town and will continue to reinvest both time and money in Ararat.
placing a large emphasis on providing exceptional customer service.
“We will continue our history of employing locals, continuous training, and providing a career pathway for the youth of our community.” Mr Jones added that his family had been ‘extremely’ impressed with the ‘amazing’ efforts of staff members in Stawell and Ararat during nine difficult months of renovation.
“They have proven that anything is possible when you work as a team,” he said. “We also thank our customers for their patience and understanding during this period. “We hope that this is the beginning of a great relationship with the community of Ararat and will continue to strive to improve our business into the future.”
Community Mr Jones said his family was passionate about its business and community and the role and responsibility small business had in the community.
Mr Jones said buying the Ararat store was a natural progression for his family’s business.
“We are very keen to extend our proud history of community involvement in Stawell to the people of Ararat,” he said.
“With Chris already owning Horsham Mitre10 and the proximity of Ararat to our Stawell store, the
“Our aim is to provide the community of Ararat with a large prod- FAMILY BUSINESS: From left, Ange Baker (nee Jones), Eve Jones, Rhian uct range at the right price, while Jones, Simon Jones, Margaret Jones, David O Jones and Ethan Jones.