Owners to shut up shop

THE relocation of more government offices into the CBD is one answer to its revitalisation, according to one business which is closing down after almost 25 years of trade.

But it will be a long, hard slog to recover its trade and the development of a stadium will not be enough, says Kevin Gill, operator of Townsville Home Timber and Hardware.

The business is closing this month after the sale of its Ogden St property to Townsville City Council.

The retail warehouse is to be demolished as part of the longawaited bus hub.

Kevin and Sue Gill have operated their award- winning business in Townsville since 1993, relocating to Ogden St in 2005 when they thought the city centre was “going to fire”.

Instead, he said businesses had closed and traders had endured disruption, first from the mall redevelopment, and then from ongoing traffic and water main works.

“I have nothing but sympathy for those who are still trying to operate,” Mr Gill said.

“The roadworks have hammered the guts out of businesses.”

As to what should be done to revitalise the city centre, Mr Gill said long- term commitments were needed by both the State Government and council.

“They need to relocate some of the State Government offices into the city centre,” Mr Gill said.

Even so, Townsville Home Timber and Hardware had prospered.

The business won the group’s Queensland Store of the Year and the National Store of the Year from 300 stores in 2014.

The success of the business had been built on a diversified model supplying the trade and retail markets. Customers include Port of Townsville, BHP Billiton and Glencore.

The store had been among the top five resellers nationally for rollform steel, mainly roofing and purlins, and has supplied materials to big projects within the city and to mining projects in Papua New Guinea.

But they were winding up rather than selling the business and had done well to sell the property for $ 1.5 million.

Mr Gill said they would spend the next few months finalising the business before visiting family in Australia and the United Kingdom.

Picture: ZAK SIMMONDS END OF AN ERA: Hardware store owners Sue and Kevin Gill are retiring after the council bought their building off them for the new bus hub.