‘So sad’: Beloved store the Fudge Cottage to close down
Owners of a popular shop that’s been open for almost 20 years say it’s closing next month after a drop in foot traffic.
A beloved store billing itself as the “best smelling shop in the world” is set to close after almost 20 years, with owners saying a $813 million road upgrade has led to a drop in trade.
The Fudge Cottage, located just off the Bruce Highway at Palmview, on the Sunshine Coast, is set to shut the next month with business moving online and to a local market two times a week.
“It’s been incredible, but unfortunately the winds of change have blown our way,” the owners said on Instagram
“The decline in foot traffic has made it increasingly challenging for us to thrive.”
Jade Rodighiero took over the Fudge Cottage and the business associated with it — Smoochie’s — three years ago before revamping the shopfront.
She says changes to exits along the Bruce Highway as part of a $813 million connection to Caloundra had seen less visitors stopping by at the Frizzo Rd store.
The shop’s position in the Aussie World precinct just off the motorway inland from the Sunshine Coast made it a popular destination for tourists travelling through the region.
“We feel a lot of foot traffic has dropped in the last year,” Ms Rodighiero said. “The shop next to us closed down.
“We would probably do $3500 per week and now we might only do $100 per day.
“I don’t know if foot traffic has affected everyone, but I feel it has affected us.”
A TikTok video announcing the decision to close the Palmview store gained more than 320,000 views and a string of mourning comments.
“Getting fudge from you was always a highlight of my trips. I’d beg my parents and they’d always let me,” one user said.
Another commented that the change to highway exits had meant they did not stop by anymore.
“I think changing the highway exits has not helped! We always miss the exit now when we are travelling that way,” they said.
Others reminisced on childhood memories of stopping in for a treat while on the road.
“You guys have always held a special place in my heart!” one person said.
“My dad would always stop in and get the baileys fudge, and I’d get the cookies and cream. It’s gonna be sad to see you’s (sic) go.”
Ms Rodighiero said the reaction to the news had surprised her and she was glad the store held a special place in people’s hearts.
The business will now opt to sell its handmade fudge online and twice per week at a store at the Eumundi markets.
Australia’s economic woes deepen
The shop’s closure comes amid a troubling economic time for Australia — as construction businesses continue to collapse, exports face pressure from China and interest rates remain high.
And the pain is not over yet.
The nation’s jobs market exhibited a remarkable recovery last month, with a shock fall in the unemployment rate suggesting the Reserve Bank will push back any cuts to interest rates, economists warned.
The economy added a blockbuster 116,500 jobs in February, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported on Thursday, far outstripping an expected increase of 40,000.
The surprise jobs gain was fuelled by an increase in both full- and part-time positions, up 78,200 and 38,300, respectively.
The bumper result brought the jobless rate to just 3.7 per cent, down from 4.1 per cent the month prior, far short of a 4 per cent reading economists had predicted and fully reversing the weakness over the summer months.
Bolstering the fall in the unemployment rate was an uptick in the participation rate — the share of Australia’s working aged population in work, or looking for work — which edged up to a near-record high of 66.7 per cent, according to the seasonally adjusted figures.
As more Australian’s started new jobs, took on extra hours, and returned from Christmas holidays, the time worked soared by 53 million hours, or 2.8 per cent, to 1.9bn hours.
The underemployment rate — measuring those in work but looking for additional hours — also fell to 6.6 per cent, down from 6.7 per cent in January.
Oxford Economics lead economist Ben Udy said the recovery in employment clearly challenged the view that the rate hikes to date were providing enough of a drag on the economy to bring down wage growth and inflation.
“The RBA will surely be watching the labour market data closely from here to see if the loosening in the labour market resumes in the months ahead.”
Reacting to the data, Treasurer Jim Chalmers hailed the jobs numbers as a “remarkable result”, and claimed moderating inflation, growing real wages and low unemployment had been achieved by the government.
“Despite everything that’s coming at us from around the world, inflation is moderating and our labour market remains one of our greatest strengths with unemployment remaining below its pre-pandemic average and participation at near record highs,” Dr Chalmers said.
But shadow employment spokesperson Michaelia Cash said the near-record low jobless rate masked further pain in the workforce.
“Almost 1 million Australians are now working second or third jobs,” Ms Cash said, pointing to the number of multiple job holders which had increased by more than 100,000.
The fresh job numbers come as separate data confirmed a sharp increase in Australia’s population growth in the year to September, overwhelmingly due to a surge in net overseas migration.
Over the period, Australia’s annual migration intake was 548,800. Combined with new births, Australia’s population grew by 659,800.
But with employment growth continuing to soar, the increase more than absorbed the new migrant arrivals.
— with NCA NewsWire