Narrogin divided after Coles extended trading hours request

The prospect of seven-day trading has divided Narrogin with one small business owner claiming deregulation would kill his supermarket within weeks. Debate has erupted after the Shire of Narrogin received a request from national supermarket giant Coles to extend their trading hours to 9pm on weekdays and 11am-5pm on Sundays and public holidays. It currently trades 8am to 6pm on weekdays, staying open until 9pm on Thursdays, operates 8am to 5pm on Saturdays and is closed on Sundays. In a letter to Narrogin council, Coles said extended retail trading hours would give local businesses the ability to better meet consumer demand and compete more effectively with online retailers, while providing local consumers with more convenience. At last week’s meeting, councillors voted to put the issue to the public. The council will soon call for written submissions on the possibility of requesting changes to the Shire’s trading hours from Consumer Protection. The options are extending hours as requested by Coles or switching to completely unrestricted trading hours in the Shire. Consumer Protection requires the Shire to consult with the community and demonstrate there is general support for a permanent change to Sunday or late-night trading hours. The Narrogin Chamber of Commerce is on board with the concept of Sunday trading, telling the Shire it supported the request due to the opportunity it would give Narrogin to compete with towns such as Katanning. The Chamber stressed that its endorsement did not represent the views of all of its members. Chamber chief executive Kerry Bryant said that all responding members of the committee were in support of Coles’ request, bar one who refrained from voting. “Because we’re a community centre we have people coming in from further out, so we’d obviously rather them coming to Narrogin to shop on a Sunday rather than turning left and travelling to Katanning or going straight through to Armadale,” she said. “We believe that by extending the trading we feel that it will give an opportunity to small businesses to capitalise on the consumers Coles would attract to town on a Sunday should they want to. “People will come in to shop at Coles and if there’s a coffee shop open will think ‘oh, I’ll go grab a coffee’, or if there’s a hardware shop open ‘I’ll go and grab whatever from there’. “There are other shires who have done this, and I believe the sky hasn’t fallen in. “Those who shopped at the local smaller shops still did so regardless. Extending Coles hours just gives other people, such as shift workers, more opportunity and convenience.” Ms Bryant said the Chamber’s foundation was free enterprise, describing their approach to the issue as “getting out of the way and letting the market do what it’s going to do”. “It’s up to the smaller organisations to say why they don’t want it, and then it’s up to them to entice their customers to continue to support them,” she said. But some small businesses in town, such as Narrogin Fresh, have serious concerns about the impact of seven-day trading. Narrogin Fresh owner Alan Yang said if Coles was allowed to open on Sundays it would end his business within weeks, resulting in all of his staff losing their jobs. “We make the money that keeps our business viable on Sunday, without that I just don’t see how we could stay open,” he said. “Sundays and public holidays are absolutely crucial to us. We just can’t compete with someone like Coles on those days. “If they let this happen, they are killing us. It’s nonsense.” Mr Yang said he believed small, locally owned businesses were crucial to the town. “We are for the community,” he said. “During COVID-19 we were hiding toiler paper so that our elderly customers and those in need wouldn’t miss out. “Who will do that when it’s just Coles here?” His sentiments were echoed by other small businesses. Phil Hoskin is the owner of Narrogin Fruit Market on Fortune Street and has been there since 1976. He agrees that small businesses would suffer if the council grants Coles’ request. “It will kill the town,” he said. “I think the Narrogin council really need to have a good look at all the other businesses around this town. Everyone’s suffering enough as it is, and Coles opening longer will result in some small businesses closing up. “I know it will mean some of my staff members will have to go.” Narrogin Country Fresh Meats owner Geoff Hann questioned whether Narrogin really needed to be open seven days a week. “Coles is definitely a drawcard, but at the end of the day it’s going to affect a lot of business,” he said. “People might come into town on Sunday, but 95 per cent of the other shops will be closed anyway. “People will come in on Sunday, do their whole shop at Coles and go home rather than say, coming over here to buy their meat like they would during the week.” When asked if he would consider opening on Sundays, Mr Hann’s answer was clear. “I work 60 hours a week, so I’m not going to start opening Sundays too. I need to see my family at some point,” he said. “If I open Sunday I may as well just live here.”