General News
1 July, 2023
Business chief confident sector can survive - The silver lining to city's retail gloom
A Horsham business leader has urged people not to judge the economic health of the city by the number of unoccupied premises in Horsham’s main streets - despite the imminent closure of four of the city’s independent retailers. Two will close...
A Horsham business leader has urged people not to judge the economic health of the city by the number of unoccupied premises in Horsham’s main streets - despite the imminent closure of four of the city’s independent retailers.
Two will close their doors for good today - Horsham Camera House and Chisholm Hi-Fi and TV Centre - each having traded for almost 50 years.
Owners of Barbeques Galore and Network Music also have said they will close next month.
Spiralling costs and fierce competition account for most of the closures, although a bitter stoush over parking and planning issues is at the heart of Kevin Dellar’s reluctant decision to shut up shop at Barbeques Galore.
Mr Dellar, a former mayor of Horsham, said he and wife Greer were unable to overcome landowner and Horsham Rural City Council issues which would cut down parking places and remove access to a warehouse.
Mrs Dellar said they had been overwhelmed with the reaction of people to news that they were closing.
“I’m at the stage now that if anyone says anything nice to me I burst into tears,” she said.
Network Music, founded by Aaron Batson in 2011, is also about to close in the next two to three weeks.
Manager Glenn Mclean blamed online shopping for the closure of the business.
“It’s hard to compete with online music stores, and we don’t have that kind of borrowing power to compete with them,” he said.
“We haven’t been making any money for the last eight months.
“When we try to order stock, we need more buying power to get enough to give them the best price possible. We just haven’t had enough traffic.
“I’m now looking for full-time work again in the retail industry, as I have to support my wife and a 10-year-old daughter.”
Chisholm Hi-Fi owner Jeff Allen, who with wife Robyn took over the store in 2007 from founders Geoff and Lynne Chisholm, have survived enormous transitions in technology, from analogue to digital TV, and the rise of the internet.
But in the end they could not compete with the mass marketing of chain store retailers who pushed down prices - along with quality and expectations.
“They’ve really lowered the bar,” Mr Allen said. “It’s a bit like comparing a budget vehicle to a Mercedes.
“You get what you pay for, but quality and reliability is remembered long after the price tag is forgotten.”
Michael Warrick, of Horsham Camera House, said in a statement he would like to thank his customers and staff over the past 40 years. However, he did not wish to comment any further.
Meanwhile a fifth business, Kids Capers, faces closure at the end of July if it cannot find a buyer.
Bernadette Dyer launched the paid play and entertainment area for youngsters in 2013.
“I have three businesses and can’t run them all effectively,” she said. “We were struggling to get staff, and my passion isn’t there anymore,” she said.
And another - Allan and Trev’sWorkwear store - changes hands today, as owner Trev Dymke passes the reigns to TJ Hobbs after 40 years.
“I’m just retiring, time to get relaxed,” Mr Dymke said. “I will do a bit of travel, drive a motorbike, and play golf.
“TJ will be the new owner, and all staff will remain the same."
WesVic Business chairman Mark Clyne said Horsham was continuing to enjoy business growth, even though some in the retail sector were struggling.
“The number of traders is not the bellwether mark for success,” he said.
“There are many factors that people often don’t take into account. Because we have shops that are empty doesn’t mean that the city is not economically healthy.”
Mr Clyne said that while retail traders might be reducing staff and some businesses closing down, many industries on the edge of the city were extremely busy and might employ a dozen or more staff.
“Industry now has the jobs and growth and is replacing retail as a major employer,” he said. “It’s all driven by consumers.”
He said the high cost of doing business and new ways to shop caused difficulty for some businesses whose owners were unable to adjust - a trend that would continue, and likely see more shut their doors in the future.
“Livability is the main issue we look at because a centre has to be able to attract people and keep them,” he said.
“There’s generational change in the way that we shop, and that is going to continue. And consumer habits and trends change over time.”
Finding sufficient suitable employees for growing established businesses remained a major issue, he said.