Foodland Modbury will not close despite barren shelves, head office confirms
Foodland at the Modbury Triangle Shopping Centre will not close despite many empty shelves and angry customers, head office confirms.
North & North East
Don't miss out on the headlines from North & North East. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Foodland’s head office has guaranteed its Modbury store will not close despite concerns from angry customers over a glaring lack of stock since at least July.
Senior management has held a meeting with the franchisee following “supply issues” that had left the Modbury Triangle Shopping Centre shop largely barren.
A head office spokesman said on Thursday it was working towards a “sustainable solution” between the store and supplier Metcash.
“It is not closing,” the spokesman told The Messenger.
He said “financial pressures” had contributed towards the situation at the Modbury outlet.
“Our stores have an obligation to pay the wholesaler,” he said.
Store management had thanked customers before Christmas, through a flyer attached to shelving, for their patience during “this difficult time due to supply issues”.
However, one shopper reported – in a posting on the Facebook page Tea Tree Gully What’s Up – that she had been informed by a staff member it would eventually close.
Another customer had said on the store’s Facebook page, last year, the lack of stock was “absolutely disgusting”, and: “Every time my wife shops there, she can never get all the products that she wants – bare shelves all around the store.”
MORE NEWS
Right-hand turns banned on The Parade during peak times
Two northern bakeries breached national food code 34 times, court hears
Trolls cause Salisbury Council Watch Facebook page to shut down
A Metcash spokeswoman said some “commercial matters” had to be ironed out.
“(We) hope to have the store back to its normal high standards as quickly as possible,” she said.
Foodland chief executive Con Sciacca told The Messenger late last month he was not aware of any “systemic supply issues”.
Mr Sciacca said the supply of goods to stores was essentially an issue for individual operators through Metcash.
“We are essentially the marketing arm,” Mr Sciacca said.
“We need to get some understanding from the owner. I understand their intent was to refurbish the store.”
He said 35 individual owners ran 92 Foodland stores across SA.
Comment has been sought from the Modbury operator.