Is Masters still coming to town?
A Masters Home Improvement store may no longer be coming to Warragul.
Speaking on behalf of Masters’ joint venture partners Woolworth and U.S. home improvement chain Lowe’s, a Woolworths’ spokesperson said the company “was re-focussing its store-roll out to prioritise the development of stores in metropolitan areas”.
Masters bought a 2.8 hectare site in Warragul Business Park in Queen St east just over four years ago in October 2011.
At a dinner of business leaders and community leaders in Warragul in early 2012 Masters’ executives outlined plans for an $8 million development that it expected to open for business by mid2013.
Failure to meet targets at stores it had already opened in a number of states subsequently led to a review of the company’s business strategy and any expansion to Warragul was put on hold.
There has been consistent speculation in Warragul over the past two years that Masters had cancelled its plans to establish in the town.
Woolworths’ spokesperson did not answer questions put by The Gazette about whether Masters had now sold the Queen St site or whether it still has plans for a store in Warragul in the foreseeable future.
The spokesperson said the company “will provide the community with an update on Masters Warragul in due course”.