Maleny IGA: Rob, Sam Outridge sell supermarket for undisclosed amount
After hiring thousands of employees and serving ‘the population of Australia’ over its 27 years of business, a Sunshine Coast supermarket’s future has been decided.
Business
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Owners of the Maleny IGA have decided to sell their business after serving 27 million people – equivalent to the population of Australia – over nearly three decades.
Rob and Sam Outridge will settle the deal for their hinterland business on August 1, 2022 for an undisclosed amount after 27 years of ownership.
After running the IGA for seven days a week, 364 days a year for 27 years, the Outridges were eager to put some space between themselves and 30 years of retail.
The Outridges bought the Maleny business in 1995 after selling their newsagency in the North Burnett.
Mr Outridge said he had seen the success of supermarkets in the early 90s, so when the Maleny Food Store was up for sale, they leapt at the chance.
“It’s only had five owners in its history and was established in 1905,” Mr Outridge said.
“It’s been a great business and people have hung onto it for a long time.”
When he crunched the numbers Mr Outridge said they would have employed more than 1000 people in 27 years, most of them being children in their first job.
“We estimated about one million people come through the store every year so that’s essentially 27 million customers,” he said.
“You could say the population of Australia has come through Maleny over the years, that’s a lot of people.”
When the Outridges bought the building it was partly the Food Store Supermarket and True Value Hardware, with millions of dollars invested into the business to renovate it.
In the beginning it was a hard learning curve with the pair managing up to 52 employees at one point, but their business backgrounds worked in their favour.
One of the biggest challenges they faced was when Woolworths opened in Maleny in 2006 which courted controversy in the hinterland town.
“It definitely challenged us and it was confronting,” he said.
“All you can do is your best and show what you’re capable and people will be loyal and stick with you, and the vast majority did.”
They will remain on the Sunshine Coast at their home in Kawana Waters.
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