A $5 million supermarket development is underway at Westbury after the first sod was turned last week.
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The 1600-square-meter fully-serviced supermarket will be built in the town’s centre on Meander Valley Road by July 2019.
It will be owned and operated by Judy Fellows, who has helped Westbury locals fill their pantries for about 30 years at the William Street IGA.
The Westbury resident of about 60 years, said the new development would allow residents to access a full-line of products without having to travel out of town and create employment in the area.
“There's simply not enough room at the current William Street store to hold all of the product our customers are after and while we try to get in what we can, we sometimes have to suggest a trip out of town to visit a larger IGA supermarket,” Ms Fellows said.
“By having a larger product offering we hope to make it easier for the people of Westbury to live their day-to-day lives in the town and we also hope it will bring more people in from surrounding towns to come and do their shopping here.”
Tasmanian Independent Retailers CEO Grant Hinchcliffe said the development would be a win for Westbury, with the nine-month construction phase set to create employment for up to 20 to 30 tradespeople.
“This investment shows a real commitment to Westbury and will help the close-knit community by creating local jobs and through making it easier for the people in the area to access the services and products they need, when they need,” he said.
The development will include a 99kw solar panel, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the new supermarket. Energy Minister Guy Barnett welcomed the new investment and applauded the inclusion of the solar panel in the supermarket design.
“Investment of this type is a sign of confidence in the Meander Valley and will help bring jobs and new opportunity to the region,” Mr Barnett said.
“It’s also wonderful to see the commitment to renewable energy in this development.”
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