Are there too many retail stores in Toowoomba?

I READ and hear a lot about how online shopping is having a vast effect on the local trade.

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I READ and hear a lot about how online shopping is having a vast effect on the local trade.

I agree that online shopping does have an effect on local shops but I urge traders to consider this: In Toowoomba alone there is about 10 shopping centres plus all the shops in the CBD trying to make a good living.

There is only a certain amount of money in society and the more shops the less money that can be spent in each shop.

The population of Toowoomba is only about 130,000. Divide this into the shopping centres alone and you get about 13,000. This is not counting the CBD and the number of footwear/clothing and eatery stores in these areas is far too many for the population, in my view.

If all stores were to make a good living and provide employment, I feel we would need to have a population of 600,000-700,000 people for the present amount of shopping available.

At the moment with an economy in an average state it does not surprise that some will fail and I feel sorry for the ones that do. After all, most single store or franchise owners have put all they have into being successful.

BOB BROWN, Cotswold Hills

Originally published as Are there too many retail stores in Toowoomba?