Over the last few months, several SPAR retailers have experienced the devastation of fire and floods.
“These communities have truly been devastated and to be able to get up and trading quickly has not only allowed the store teams to get back into business, but also provide much needed food supplies to the local communities,” SPAR Australia said in a statement.
The teams at Lismore, Ballina and Coraki in Northern NSW experienced devastating flooding with Lismore having the water rise to the ceiling.
Retail Operations Manager Jeremy Keeffe comments: “What has been achieved by these store teams is nothing short of incredible. ‘Better Together’ in SPAR was surely on show as the teams worked together to get the stores back up and running.”
Jeff and Prue Sykes at SPAR Lismore reopened their store on 17 March. The store was out of action for around two weeks, but at the time of reopening it was the only supermarket servicing the local community in Lismore.
“The store received great support from the locals and are nearly matching the same sales as before the flood. This is exceptional considering the store still doesn’t have a deli or food to go offer and has limited refrigeration,” SPAR Australia said.
Sagar Madarapu and the team at SPAR Ballina were back to full trading after four days of being closed.
“The team did a fantastic job at getting the store back on track and the town is pleased to have their local supermarket open and trading,” SPAR Australia said.
Joanne, Cheryl and the team at SPAR Coraki were out of action for around two weeks and have now been trading for over a week. SPAR Coraki is not trading at full capacity due to limited team members available and some equipment not being operational. The food to go offer is currently not operating at full range, which is similar with the chiller and freezer departments.
“Store trading hours have been reduced until the store is back to full staffing capacity.”
On 27 December 2021, Chandra and Ramya’s store in Bourke burnt down due to an electrical fire.
“They have had the full support of the local council to rebuild the store, which has resulted in the process being fast tracked.
“The DA was finalised and submitted late March and they are hoping for a quick approval in the next two to three weeks. At this stage if all goes to plan, we could see SPAR Bourke opening bigger and brighter by Christmas this year,” SPAR Australia concluded.
