FEW regional centres in Australia would come close to matching the competition for supermarket dollars that now exists in Bathurst.
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Two Woolworths, one Coles, an IGA and an Aldi mean there are now five major supermarkets within the Bathurst CBD.
And that's before we get to the smaller supermarkets operating in satellite shopping centres around the city.
That not only adds up to plenty of competition for families’ shopping dollar, but also shows that major brands have great faith in the Bathurst economy.
Not even this week's announcement of shop closures and job losses by retailing giant Woolworth is likely to impact that battlefield, with confirmation already that both Bathurst Woolies are expected to survive.
Now comes the revelation that Aldi is planning to up the ante in the local supermarket wars with a $2.5 million redevelopment of its Russell Street store.
That is a massive vote of confidence in the local economy by a competitor that is fighting to be the third biggest player in the local market.
While plans submitted to council say Aldi does not expect any changes to staff levels in the short-term, if the growth in floorspace leads to a growth in business then more jobs might also be on the horizon.
It all adds up to a very healthy picture for our region, and only supports the figures tables at Bathurst Regional Council recently.
The latest report from data analysts ID Consulting found Bathurst’s rate of growth from 2013-2015 was the best two years since ID started collecting figures in 2001.
Bathurst’s population in 2015 had grown to 42,231 [up 1.39 per cent on a year earlier] while jobs growth from 2014 to 2015 was two per cent – 25 per cent higher than the state average of 1.6 per cent.
The number of unemployed people in the Bathurst region fell by almost 2000 in just three months at the start of this year as the unemployment rate fell from 6.27 per cent in December 2015 to 5.39 per cent in March this year.
They’re the sort of numbers that get businesses, big and small, excited and the sort of numbers that explain why retailing giants are keen to have a presence here.
Even better, strong retail confidence sees local businesses put on more staff, meaning more people with money to spend … which means more money for businesses to put on staff. It’s an upward spiral that has business and Bathurst booming. Long may it last.
