Getta Burger boss explains why Townsville’s stores are thriving while southern stores close

Devastated after closing his south east Queensland stores, Getta Burger’s boss has visited Townsville to explain why their three local stores remained viable.

Getta Burger director Brent Poulter has encouraged locals to shop at small and family businesses rather than the majors. Picture: Leighton Smith.

Still reeling after the heartbreaking collapse of his Getta Burger stores in south east Queensland, its director Brent Poulter has explained why Townsville’s stores continued to power ahead.

Offering burgers “made the hard way … sourcing the best meat from local butchers, supporting great local producers, and knowing what goes into each burger”, Getta Burger began as a food truck business in 2012, before opening its first store in 2014, and growing to have 19 stores.

Seeing the “writing on the wall” last week, Mr Poulter made the difficult decision to engage a liquidator and close 16 of his stores, making 107 workers redundant.

Employing a total of 30 staff, Townsville’s three stores in North Ward, Idalia, and Kirwan, remain open – a fact Mr Poulter attributes to the city’s differing economic environment, compared to the south east.

He said it was Townsville’s “solid economic heartbeat”, built around diverse industries like health, education, and defence, that attracted him to the city seven years ago.

Getta Burger director Brent Poulter visits their Idalia store at The Precinct. Picture: Leighton Smith.

“The occupancy cost is lower in Townsville so rent is considerably cheaper than in capital cities,” Mr Poulter said.

“I think the effects of the (rising) interest rates in the economy is not as far felt up here as in a capital city.

“You might have a mortgage of $300,000 to $400,000 in Townsville, against maybe $700,000 or $800,000 in Brisbane, so you get that effect of it affecting people a lot more in the capital city.”

There were also more staffing challenges in the south east, compared to their Townsville staff, who are “fantastic and always have been”.

“You still suffer your cost of living in Townsville, but I don’t think it’s as torturous as in a capital city where everything else is just that more expensive … there’s more discretionary spending.”

Getta Burger The Strand does a roaring trade with tourists. Picture: Leighton Smith.

As spending traditionally ramped up in the lead-up to Christmas, Mr Poulter urged residents to consider supporting small and family businesses rather than the major players.

“There’s a lot of family-style operations out there that need local support more than ever, with a cost of everything the way it is and everyone seems to be feeling it,” he said.

“(Locally) we use Tropical Packaging, PFD Food Services for our frozen goods, and we use Three Loaves Bakehouse for our fresh bread everyday, and a local vegetable supplier,” he said.

“Add onto that we have to service equipment in the stores, which is done by local people.”

Originally published as Getta Burger boss explains why Townsville’s stores are thriving while southern stores close