Tweed supermarket battle continues

David and Goliath: Pottsville IGA proprietor John Wightman with staff members Nellie Mackintosh and Joy Anderson, continues to do battle with the giants of Australian retail.

Scott Powick

FOR John Wightman, the chances of his Pottsville supermarket increasingly seems like a David and Goliath battle – except no matter how many times he fires his slingshot the giant keeps coming back.

Mr Wightman runs the newly re-established and enlarged Pottsville IGA supermarket and has hopes of one day expanding it to a Supa IGA if he can ward off the threats of a Woolworths or Coles store taking much of his business away.

But he fears that is exactly what will happen with Tweed mayor Warren Polglase insisting on holding a meeting in the next week with representatives of developer Metricon who have been pushing for a major supermarket complex in their nearby Seabreeze housing estate.

With independent Federal MP Bob Katter calling for action from any new Federal Government to limit the power of the Coles and Woolworths duopoly, Mr Wightman hopes he may have increased public support.

“Australia is the only non-third world country that has a monopoly like this,” Mr Wightman said.

“They actually control 70 per cent of all retail sales in Australia through their ownership of petrol, liquor, clothes, hardware and building material retail.

“Virtually every industry they are a major player in.

“They are squeezing the little blokes out.”

Mr Wightman said Pottsville retailers had felt they had a win when the council spent $560,000 successfully defending its decision in the NSW Land and Environment Court not to allow a proposed large supermarket complex at Seabreeze estate.

But he had been surprised that Cr Polglase had wanted to hold further talks with developer Metricon on its future plans for the site.

“I just want a fair go off Warren,” Mr Wightman said. “They put this to bed. They went to court. They won the case. Now he wants to meet on the 14th with Metricon.”

Cr Polglase and councillors who backed his move for a workshop meeting with Metricon had repeatedly argued they simply wanted to hear what the developer had to say.