The Spar supermarket in Allenstown will close its doors on Friday, 28 October.
Business owner Ian Kinsey, who divides his time between Rockhampton and Blackall, said several factors had contributed to the decision to shut the Fitzroy St store.
“It just doesn’t have the turnover, which is a real shame because the people who live around it found it was a good shop,” he said.
“Shoplifting and the cost of things like wages and electricity also factored in.
“Unfortunately the market has determined that it’s not viable.”
He said theft was a big problem at stores like his.
“Most small shops really struggle with security and it’s getting worse,” he said.
“Unfortunately there’s no consequences. Police will gather evidence and put them (shoplifters) away and then a fortnight later they’ll be back on the streets doing the same thing.
“We catch about one or two people a day and we report it, but that means the staff can lose an hour reviewing CCTV footage.”
Mr Kinsey, who has owned the business since 2015, said the premises were on the market and there had already been some interest.
The adjoining Go Vita store will remain open with the possibility of expansion.
“We’re tried everything to keep the store open and have reached the end of the road, which is a shame because there’s a lot of aged and disability people in the area who would find it very convenient.
“We employ about 15 to 20 people. It’s unfortunate that people will lose their jobs as we have very good staff here at the moment.”
While Spar is an established brand worldwide, he said the business had really struggled with recognition in Rockhampton in the face of more locally well known brands.
“People still say they didn’t even realise we were here. And because of the name a lot of people in Rockhampton think that we sell Jacuzzis!”
With Spar closed, the remaining supermarkets on the southside include the nearby Foodworks in George St, Woolworths at Allenstown Square, Coles at City Centre Plaza, Aldi on Gladstone Road and Peries IGA on Wandal Road.
Extracted from CQ Today
