Baulkham Hills Hardware shuts, Bunnings to blame
THE humble sausage sanger has spelled the demise of a longstanding hardware store at Baulkham Hills.
Hills Shire
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THE humble sausage sanger has spelled the demise of a longstanding hardware store at Baulkham Hills.
A cultural shift that sees consumers favour megastores, washed down with that quintessential Aussie sandwich sizzle each Saturday, has contributed to Baulkham Hills Hardware shutting shop before Christmas.
The Old Northern Rd site was formerly Mitre 10 but was a family run business since the 1960s.
Geoff Witzgall’s late father Otto and uncle Peter bought the store in 1980, long before the Bunnings juggernaut dominated hardware retail.
“I don’t want to sound bitter and say it’s the rise of Bunnings but that’s a given and there’s a lot of factors but that’s the way retail’s going into the big-box stores,’’ Mr Witzgall said.
“A lot of it’s just the way things are going these days.
“You can’t continue to fight a losing battle.”
He believes the Bunnings brand has become part of a weekend ritual.
“Bunnings has become part of Australian culture with the sausage sizzle and what they’ve done has worked,’’ Mr Witzgall said.
“Outside of Bunnings, there is not a future.
“It’s also part of big-box shopping centres … it’s all under one roof and that’s the way people want to shop these days.”
The store is up for lease and may shut sooner if stock is sold.