Woolworths Pialba have plans approved for ‘direct-to-boot’ service

Woolworths Pialba will emerge from the March flooding events with a brand new direct-to-boot service, after plans were approved by the council.

Woolworths Pialba

Woolworths Pialba will receive a major facelift following the March flooding devastation, with a new drive-through grocery pick-up zone approved by the Fraser Coast Regional Council.

The “Direct-to-boot” bays, approved to be positioned at the west of the existing building, would allow customers to purchase groceries on the Woolworths app before choosing a time to pick them up from the store.

The service was first launched in 2021, with a reported 250,000 orders now placed each week nationally, aiming to give customers a convenient service while lowering traffic inside and outside a store.

Artist's impression of the new direct-to-boot station at Woolworths Pialba. Photo: TRG Australia

After arriving in one of five new parallel parking bays, customers will inform staff stationed at the zone of their order, which will be delivered straight to their car boot.

Four car parks in the Bay Plaza precinct will be lost from the works.

Research from Stantec Australia in 2020 suggests the Direct-to-boot system lowers the need for parking bays for Woolworths customers, with the system saving up to eight spaces in shopping centres per hour.

Further research suggested customers only spent an average of 3.6 minutes in the bays, potentially providing other businesses with more parking spaces for their own customers.

Woolworths Pialba is currently undergoing “major refurbishments” after the flooding event that engulfed low-lying areas of Hervey Bay in March, 2025.

Debris in the Woolworths Pialba precinct. Picture: Phillip Fynes-Clinton

The afternoon that followed the major rain event left the store in ruin, with boxes tipped over and inventory completely destroyed.

The store has been shut since March 9, and was estimated to take 14 weeks before reopening, majorly affecting the existing businesses operating in Bay Plaza.

Plans were approved by the Fraser Coast Regional Council on May 20.