JUST one Flight Centre store in the Central West has confirmed it's staying open amid news that 100 stores across Australia will be shut down in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
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On Friday morning the travel agency chain announced to the ASX that it would close 100 under-performing stores across the nation by June 30.
The region's stores are located in: Bathurst, Dubbo, Mudgee, Orange and Young.
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In its statement to the ASX, Flight Centre did not specify which locations or how many staff would be affected by the closures.
Australian Community Media has contacted the five stores in this region and Orange was the only one to confirm it was definitely safe from closure.
Orange store assistant manager Jess Ranse said renovations earlier this week meant some customers could have assumed the worst, but she assured them this was not the case.
We want to let people know we're not closed and we won't be closing.
- Flight Centre Orange store assistant manager Jess Ranse
"We want to let people know we're not closed and we won't be closing," she said.
Eight staff are employed at the Orange Flight Centre store.
Stores in Bathurst, Dubbo, Mudgee and Young all said they were unable to comment on the closure announcement.
Flight Centre's statement to the ASX highlighted its key strategies to "combat short-term coronavirus challenges".
"The Flight Centre Travel Group has today [Friday] suspended its 2020 fiscal year (FY20) guidance following heightened uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus," the ASX was told.
Managing director Graham Turner said although the outlook and the timeframe for recovery remained unclear, Flight Centre was well placed to overcome challenges.
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"The company would draw on its experiences with SARS in 2003 and during the global financial crisis in 2009 by seeking to stimulate demand, while also implementing sensible cost reduction strategies to maintain its balance sheet strength," he said.
The statement said staff would be allowed to switch from full-time to part-time work, there would be a reduction in trading hours at some stores, staff will be encouraged to take leave and there would be a freeze on recruitment.
Executive earnings will decrease and directors will forgo 30 per cent of their fees during the remainder of this financial year.
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