Economic pressures putting future of businesses in doubt
Independently-owned general stores have been a fixture of country towns for decades, but economic pressures and increased competition are putting their future in doubt.
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00:00Hidden among plantation forests in S.A.'s southeast is the small timber town of Mount
00:09Burr.
00:10The only place in town to get takeaway and groceries is the general store.
00:17We do brisk business here, which a lot of patients can't stay anymore since COVID.
00:23Since moving from the U.S., George Copeland's American menu has helped draw customers.
00:29While the couple enjoys this work, increased competition is making business difficult.
00:34Having those home delivery services that we can't compete with hasn't been very easy either.
00:40About 50 minutes drive to the south, John Lindquist has run the Allendale East General
00:45Store for decades.
00:47He agrees running a small business in regional S.A. is getting tougher.
00:52He says treating it as a lifestyle is the only way to survive.
00:56You've got to work out what you can do, and you've got to work smart, not hard.
01:00If you end up working hard, you're going to wear yourself out too quick.
01:03And as I said, you treat this as a job, it's not going to work.
01:06But the rising cost of living is having a big impact on most businesses.
01:12People just haven't had the money to spend.
01:14So I think, you know, we definitely have felt a big difference in particularly the last
01:20six months.
01:21It's a pinch being felt widely.
01:24Businesses are experiencing cost pressures right across the state, and that's energy
01:28costs, it's wage costs, it's insurance costs.
01:32All their inputs have gone up as well because of inflationary pressures.
01:35With pressures mounting, this husband and wife team are worried about the future of
01:39their lifestyle.
01:41With the introduction and the big influx of online shopping, home delivery services, the
01:48big supermarkets being able to undercut, I think it is becoming more and more difficult.
01:55Independently owned general stores are becoming a dying breed.
01:59The economic shock of the COVID pandemic and increasing cost of living are threatening
02:03to make them a thing of the past.
02:05But if passers-by and surrounding communities give them more support, they could be preserved
02:10for another generation to enjoy.