By ANEEKA SIMONIS
IT’S the end of an era for a handful of Berwick traders who have been forced to close their doors to make way for a major supermarket.
The few remaining Southside shopping complex retailors admitted they were concerned about their financial future as they shut their doors permanently on Monday 1 December for the coming Coles store.
Ron Payne has owned Active Images in the south end of Berwick for more than 20 years and said the announcement made three months earlier was an unwelcome surprise.
“Having a big supermarket move into the complex has been rumoured for years but to have the closure imposed on us was a shock to the system,” he said.
“When you run a small business and you get to the end of your tenure, you generally have something to sell and move on but obviously under these circumstances, we can’t do that.”
Mother of three Jenny Ye owns Cheap and Hot $2 and said the closure would make things tough in her household.
“I am upset. I have been running this business for more than 10 years and we have already had to start throwing out stock. But what can I do? I have to change everything,” she said.
Retailors have been trickling out of the empty complex over the past 18 months as Casey Council remained tight-lipped on their plans to redevelop the site.
Residents, Ratepayers and Friends of Berwick Village Association president Annette Aldersea was at the forefront of the campaign which aimed to uncover the council’s plans with the south end of Berwick’s retail sector.
She was concerned locals would begin shopping outside of Berwick following the closure of the popular IGA supermarket in addition to the expected problems relating to the construction works.
“We are certainly very concerned people will start shopping in other areas and that when Coles is finished, that they won’t come back, which is often the case,” she said.
“Many businesses are also concerned about the effect the construction will have on their business – some predicting as much as a 30 per cent loss in trade. It’s unavoidable and it’s a hard time for retailors as it is.
“But we ask that people stay positive and see that a year of pain will be very beneficially to everyone in Berwick as they have a much more professional, tidy place to come and shop.”
Though it is disappointing for some retailers who can’t afford to set up a new store in Berwick due to the “overvalued and unattainable” rent prices, according to Annette, others have used the closure as an opportunity to reinvent their business.
“I am going to move the business to the Akoonah Park market … take orders on Sunday and work offsite throughout the week,” Ron said.
The redevelopment, which was expected to be finished by Christmas next year, will incorporate an update to the parking area which has been a regular concern to retailers and shoppers.
