SHOP WHERE YOUR HEART IS
Drought, online shopping and a myriad of commercial choices are all challenges being faced by Dubbo retailers ahead of the Christmas rush. But there’s a lot to be said for buying local, as NATALIE LEWIS discovered.
DROUGHT, online shopping and a myriad of commercial choices are all challenges being faced by Dubbo retailers ahead of the Christmas rush. But there’s a lot to be said for buying local.
Dubbo Photo News asked local business operators what they think the secret to retail success is during a difficult time.
Max Robertson of Tyrepower Dubbo says his family has been in business for some 75 years. He understands more than most how important it is to support rural families, particularly during hard times.
BOOK seller Dave Pankhurst has been involved in the Dubbo community for more than 50 years. The Book Connection owner said the formula for success is building on a good reputation and giving customers a strong level of service.
“To take advantage of being in Dubbo since the mid-1960s,” he said. “We know a lot of people here.”
Mr Pankhurst’s wife Nancy was a teacher for 25 years and taught a lot of children. “It’s that contact with 500 families at least – there’s a connection with the community. Before that, it was my work in rural manufacturing and knowledge of the region.”
Add excellent customer service to the mix and people are generally pleased with the outcome.
“People feel connected to you where you have been looking after them for many years, and our staff are also very helpful.”
Mr Pankhurst believes there is a difference between country and city when it comes to client satisfaction.
“There’s very little connection between the buyer and the seller on the main streets of Sydney. Very few people would know who’s behind the companies. By being here in a regional city like Dubbo for a long time, you start to get to know your customers personally.”
And while he acknowledges the difficulties being experienced across the retail sector, Mr Pankhurst is positive about the future of trading in rural and regional areas.
“A big challenge is the drought. But we are very thankful for the support of people around us.”
Max Robertson of Tyrepower Dubbo says his family has been in business for some 75 years. He understands more than most how important it is to support rural families, particularly during hard times.
“The shopping local thing is even more important now,” he said.
“The extent of the drought is filtering back into the smaller towns. Dubbo is getting business but the smaller towns are suffering. Injecting money into these towns is now more important than ever before.”
Tyrepower has been supporting drought relief locally through financial donations.
“We give money to South Dubbo Rotary who have a drought relief fund,” he explained.
“We want to fund an agency that we feel is doing something that makes a difference. And driving dollars into a town is what is going to make the biggest difference. It’s injecting money to the people we are trying to keep employed.”
Harvey Norman franchisee Tim Duggan may be reasonably new to Dubbo but he certainly understands the value of keeping money in the local economy.
“The biggest thing I’m saying about shopping locally is don’t be afraid to do it. If you are shopping locally, you are supporting local employment.”
Mr Duggan said that when farmers are doing it tough, their spouses are often working offfarm. He pointed out that keeping money local supports those incomes.
“If you are supporting the local community, it’s more opportunity for people to get jobs,” he said.
“The more people you can have shopping locally, the more we can be supporting the local people.”
According to Mr Duggan, most retail items are available in Dubbo.
“You can get all the things here that you can in Sydney,” he said.
“There’s no reason why you should go there when 85 to 90 per cent of things you can actually buy from the local community and pump the dollars into that economy.”