Joggers World on Pirie Street, Adelaide, blames parking, decline in foot traffic for closing popular shoe store

It survived a deadly explosion but after 42 years well-known city shop Joggers World will close, with the business moving to a new store.

(L-R) Jack Warhurst, Gia Warhust, Tom Warhurst, Abby Willoughby and Josh Willoughby will be closing their Joggers World city shop at the end of the month. Picture Mark Brake

Fifteen years ago Tom and Gia Warhurst were coming to grips with the carnage wrought by an early morning explosion that nearly destroyed their city shoe store.

The deadly event, which erupted in a neighbouring cafe killing its owner, ripped through the Pirie St building, tossed plaster hundreds of metres and turned the usually benign office and restaurant strip into a war zone.

Nobody would’ve begrudged the Warhursts – who took over the business 10 years earlier – for shutting their Joggers World for good. Instead with the support of their landlord they reopened continuing a retail tradition started in 1979.

But at the end of this month the popular shoe store will close and the name Joggers World will be no more – costly city parking and a drop in foot traffic factors in the decision.

Tom Warhurst pictured in Pirie St in 2006 after the explosion.

The blast tore through Joggers World, Wine Underground and JP’s Cafe and hurled debris across the street.

The business will relocate and rebrand as Sportitude Running, at a purpose-built shop on Manton Street, Hindmarsh next month.

Mr Warhurst, who played 246 games for Norwood in the SANFL, said he and Gia had been thinking about it for four or five years.

“The catalyst was we noticed a decline in foot traffic in the city, and parking accessibility,” the 58-year-old said. “The space we had was wonderful but we decided that perhaps the suburbs was the place to go.

“It was a very hard decision, we’ve been here since 1996 when Gia and I bought the business ... it’s been an eventful ride we had the explosion in 2006.

“ … once we made the decision (to leave) and found the right location we’ve been very happy.”

He said in the late 90s and early 2000s the area had law firms and accountancy firms but that in recent years there had been a “decline in the suits in at lunchtime”.

“And now with COVID there are not many people are working in the city,” Mrs Warhurst, 57, added.

Demolition work on the Pirie St building revealed shoes inside the Joggers World shop appeared untouched by the devastating blast.

The family business – which Warhurst’s son Jack, daughter Abby Willoughby and her husband Josh help manage – also opened a Sportitude shop at Fullarton, which Mr Warhurst said had also “cannibalised” some trade.

Sportitude Running at Hindmarsh, just down from Hindmarsh Stadium will trade seven days a week – with free, and untimed, parking. Mr Warhurst said the Fullarton shop will be expanded to accommodate Joggers World customers who don’t want to head west.