By ALANA MITCHELSON
RITCHIES headquarters has confirmed the closure of its much-loved Pakenham IGA store, putting months of rumours to rest.
Loyal customers of Pakenham’s oldest supermarket site were “very disappointed“ to hear of another independent grocery store closing its doors.
The Main Street corner store has been home to a grocery store for close to a century, having opened as the McAfee Brothers in 1925 prior to becoming the Robinson’s SSW in the ’50s and was temporarily run by Safeway for a couple of years in the early ’80s before being taken over by Ritchies.
Long-time Pakenham resident Margaret McKay told the Gazette independent grocery stores gave customers more choice.
“Supporting independent stores by shopping there keeps the small people in business and not to be dominated by the major players,“ the 82-year-old said.
“At IGA you see the same staff every week and it becomes social. They always ask me how I am and I ask them how their studies are going.
“I go for my seniors’ discount every Thursday and they have a community benefits card that clocks up points that convert into donations to local charities.
“And it’s a small store, so you don’t have to walk for miles, whereas at Coles and Woolworths you very rarely find a member of staff nearby to help you.
“Now I’ve got to decide where to shop. I’ll be shopping at Aldi in Lakeside.”
In its final days operating under Ritchies, the store was targeted by a burglar who stole two empty tills before tripping over as he fled the scene.
Store manager Brett Reid told the Gazette that Ritchies headquarters were yet to give the management a timeline for the store’s closure.
“We haven’t been given a date yet,“ Mr Reid said.
“Head office hasn’t given us a reason for the closure but in my opinion, I’d say it’s based on the performance of the store.“
He said staff had been re-issued jobs elsewhere within Ritchies.
