New scheme launched for 'outback stores'
New scheme launched for 'outback stores'
Monday Aug 14 21:31 AEST
Source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=122200
The federal government has launched an ambitious scheme to overhaul outback stores servicing remote indigenous communities and make them commercially viable.
Under the voluntary system, food with high nutritional value will be prioritised.
The government is spending $48 million over four years to get the program, to be administered by Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) through a Board of Outback Stores, up and running.
The chairman of IBA, Joseph Elu, will head the board, which has met for the first time in Canberra.
'The aim was to make the community stores commercially viable, board member and former Coles executive Alan Williams said.
Should a community sign up to the scheme, the board would recruit an experienced store manager, set a minimum range of groceries for sale, provide mentoring, and visit the store regularly to ensure its standards are met.
"They will basically get the same sort of mechanisms and support that a Coles or Woolworths store manager gets in the city," Mr Williams told reporters.
"They will get mentoring, there will be staff training programs."
Nutrition also will be a priority.
"Every store should have fresh fruit and vegetables. Every store should have the basic range of groceries which do offer some healthy alternatives," he said.
After the shops are operating to a set standard, nutritionists will be brought in to work with the community to raise the profile of healthy food.
Mr Williams said the possibility of discounted wholesale goods would be canvassed down the track.
"We will start to look at how the stores buy and where we buy from, but right now the real priority has got to be to get the basics of the operations right first," he said.
Some outback stores will also be able to invest their profits in community programs.
"Once the store's making a profit, there will be a mechanism which some of that money will be retained to go back into reinvestment into the store so that the store's kept up to speed," Mr Williams said.
"There'll also be a mechanism where ... some of the dividends from that store can go back into the community to fund community activities."
Monday Aug 14 21:31 AEST
Source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=122200
The federal government has launched an ambitious scheme to overhaul outback stores servicing remote indigenous communities and make them commercially viable.
Under the voluntary system, food with high nutritional value will be prioritised.
The government is spending $48 million over four years to get the program, to be administered by Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) through a Board of Outback Stores, up and running.
The chairman of IBA, Joseph Elu, will head the board, which has met for the first time in Canberra.
'The aim was to make the community stores commercially viable, board member and former Coles executive Alan Williams said.
Should a community sign up to the scheme, the board would recruit an experienced store manager, set a minimum range of groceries for sale, provide mentoring, and visit the store regularly to ensure its standards are met.
"They will basically get the same sort of mechanisms and support that a Coles or Woolworths store manager gets in the city," Mr Williams told reporters.
"They will get mentoring, there will be staff training programs."
Nutrition also will be a priority.
"Every store should have fresh fruit and vegetables. Every store should have the basic range of groceries which do offer some healthy alternatives," he said.
After the shops are operating to a set standard, nutritionists will be brought in to work with the community to raise the profile of healthy food.
Mr Williams said the possibility of discounted wholesale goods would be canvassed down the track.
"We will start to look at how the stores buy and where we buy from, but right now the real priority has got to be to get the basics of the operations right first," he said.
Some outback stores will also be able to invest their profits in community programs.
"Once the store's making a profit, there will be a mechanism which some of that money will be retained to go back into reinvestment into the store so that the store's kept up to speed," Mr Williams said.
"There'll also be a mechanism where ... some of the dividends from that store can go back into the community to fund community activities."
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