So one of the Central Coast radio stations has published a story about the list of possible Big W stores that will close, and says both Central Coast stores will close. Even though Tuggerah is not on the list.
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Woolworths announced this morning that it would close 30 Big W stores and two distribution centres over the next three years (no joke). However it did not provide the list of stores to be shut, saying negotiations with landlords are continuing.
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Glad we got that cleared up, couldâve been mistaken on a day like this 
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Greetings all first time poster, long time lurker and former poster here from 10+ years ago (could never be bothered making a new account after the forum switched to a new host).
I work at Big W as a secondary job, but this news still makes me incredibly nervous. My store is not a regional store and it supposedly makes a lot of profit week to week. But a lot of things could count against it (as it would other stores).
Most landlord leases are very expensive, and our lease (to my knowledge) is up between June this year and June next year (depends who you talk to).
We carry a lot of items that just donât sell. This is more evident in the clothing, our appliances, toys, technology items fly off the shelves (both in sales AND stolen goods grrrrr!!). Thatâs another key element, theft is very very high. But nobody (counting other retailers in this not just Big W) wants to spend $1000-ish dollars per week to have a proper loss prevention person.
We have a modern store, but there is still a lack of care. I really value presentation and always aim to have stock laid out as though we have just opened for business for the very first time. Sadly there are few other workers that have the same philosophy, clock in, clock out and donât care. Youâd be surprised itâs not just the young generation, there are a lot of older workers that clearly donât want to be there, but are not doing anything to change their mindset.
A common customer complaint is that there is no staff around. We know this, managers know this⌠but nothing gets done about it. One or two people on each side of the store is NOT enough manpower to be able to handle face to face customers, phone based customers among the ad-hoc tasks that need to be done day to day.
I doubt itâll just be a mass regional store closure, I think theyâll also be looking at suburban stores that are in close proximity to each other, and potentially shut down the weakest performing of the two. I know a certain area that has 3 Big W stores within 20 minutes of each other, surely the three stores are taking various business away from each other.
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You will find most regional large centres like Ballarat/Bendigo/Dubbo/Orange, and these ones specifically , are the best WOW/WES performers. From memory Bendigo is BIGWâs number 1 $ trader for Vic. The others are in the Top 20.
Itâs the stores like where youâve got three in Townsville within a 15min radius, dozens in Sydney metro area and those falling apart that are not worth the $2-$3mil capex upgrade.
Highly doubtful you will see any Westfield closures.
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I have witnessed two big shoplifting hauls recently.
First time was early morning in January at Coles, Dank St Waterloo. A guy grabbed a couple of cooler bags and had filled them with many packs of chewing gums. An attendant at self service saw him and gave chase. The guy dropped them half way down the street and kept running. He brought the haul back and a random customer went up to him and shook his hand. He said it happens there all the time since they removed the barriers going in.
On Saturday afternoon I was at a busy Woolies, Westfield Bondi Junction. A bunch of young guys were carrying on loudly as they went through the supermarket filling it up to the top. As I was leaving, they did a runner at the entrance with the loaded trolley including a few baby formula cans loaded on top. I looked for an attendant but there was nobody. I alerted a staff member a bit further away and we both ran in the direction they went. There were two exits there and a row of lifts. They had already vanished.
When I returned to my trolley, a couple were reporting rude âcustomersâ to two security people. I overheard them say they had had been moving items to the wrong shelves in the wrong aisles and they suspected they were going to do something dodgy. I had to let them know that they had just done a runner and I had just reported it to a staff member.
The security people calmly said âOh, weâll have to check the CC footageâ.
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I would expect that many of the ones that would go are ones that Woolies has opened on the last 10-15 years when they were overzealous with rolling out new shopping centres (prior to them spinning off that into its own company) which contained one of every Woolworths business inside, ergo theyâd have a Woolworths, Big W, BWS, Dan Murphys, Dick Smith, Caltex Woolworths in the forecourt⌠Some even had a Masters adjacent. Canberra Airport / Majura Park comes to mind off the top of my head as an obvious example however there are other examples around. These are often located relatively close to existing major centres.
Recalling back to my time working for Dick Smith under Woolworths ownership the stores opened in these (once) Woolworths owned centres never performed and it was rather apparent that in many cases they just opened every business that they owned in them for brand representation / to fill the tenancies up even if they lost money.
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That wouldnât surprise - there is no competition in Bendigo, retail-wise, outside of KMart and Target. And KMart is a fair drive away. Myer is a write-off there.
For such a big city there is a huge lack of retail options.
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Probably more non mega regionals places like Port Augusta, Parkes, Dalby, Bega, Wangaratta, Atherton etcâŚ
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Myer wonât get rid of Bendigo store easily because Bendigo is where the department store was founded in 1900.
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I doubt the Pommy Myer Management give two hoots about Australian retail heritage.
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The Woolies there seems to do quite well, probably as thereâs no other major supermarkets over that side of town - the closest are probably Manuka and Queanbeyan, and a newish IGA at the outlet centre. Strangely, there isnât a BWS there. I think that might be the only Woolies in Canberra that doesnât have a BWS within or adjacent to the supermarket,
The Big W was reduced in size a couple of years ago to accommodate a new Aldi store. I wouldnât be surprised tot see the Big W closed - it always seems dead. Tuggeranong might be the other candidate.
Dick Smithâs spot was taken over by Chemist Warehouse, who moved from another spot in the centre.
Dan Murphyâs I believe took over a Jim Murphyâs liquor store outside the centre over near Bunnings (former Masters). Thereâs still a Jim Murphyâs in the centre.
The Toys R Us store has been vacant since it closed.
The centre is probably a somewhat unique case in that it was the brand depot outlet centre. It went bust and Woolies bought it.
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Noticed today that one of my local Woolworthâs Petrol has changed its name on the receipt and on my credit card statement to EG. Last week was still WW Petrol.
Thereâs still a few tenancies at the Devonport Homemaker Centre in Tas including a big patch of land where Bunnings was to go before they got the K&D building anyway and another building which has already been built. Just about every week thereâs someone saying that Big W should go in there. There was a plan about 15 years ago for Devonport to get a second Woolworths and a Big W store but nobody seems to understand that Big W is in trouble, thereâs only really Kmart here as Target is rubbish - a former Target Country store.
As for the Big W stores in Tasmania, Iâm still surprised that all the stores are only in Hobart and that there are 3 of them in close proximity - Kingston to the south of Hobart, Northgate in Glenorchy and one at Eastlands on the Eastern Shore. All 3 within about 20 minutes of each other.
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Big W isnât at the Northgate Shopping Centre, itâs up the road in Glenorchy Plaza.
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Ah yeah, sorry about that. Been a while since I lived there. Going shopping on a Saturday at Norchy for the regular fights at Norfgate each week.
Itâs the only place Big W has ever been in Glenorchy. I preferred that spot when it was Festival personally.
Iâm a bit iffy about the Westfield based stores (not saying I work in one). From what I understand the rent in those complexes in particular are sky high⌠So they would want to be highly profitable to stay open. Only my opinion and I hope I am wrong.
The store I work at does really well in book sales, party store sales and Optical is highly popular as well (guess it wasnât doing so well in other stores hence the exiting of the Optical range from July).
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I visited my local Big W Optical once and got the distinct impression it was just a concession type arrangement pretty much operating separately to the rest of the store.
Ikea will launch its first âsmall-sizeâ store at Sydneyâs Westfield Warringah Mall next month.
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