Thirty years ago on December 6, 1994, Safeway opened its supermarket in Lakes Entrance.
There has been a name change to Woolworths, a refurbishment and the store has endured times of floods, fire, COVID and many other events, including the recent warehouse industrial action.
“We would like to thank the community for supporting us over the years,” Brendon Rhodes, who has been manager for four years, said.
“The store is now back to being fully stocked and we appreciate customers understanding and patience over that period.
“We are looking forward to a bumper Christmas and holiday period which is good for the town. The AFL grand final and Melbourne Cup long weekends were extremely good and I feel this is an indication that visitors are adapting to the cost of living.”
Another milestone is that it is nearly 12 months since the Direct to Boot service opened.
“We opened that two days before Christmas last year and local customers have adapted to this service. We now encourage tourists to also enjoy the convenience as they can pre-order then drive through even towing their caravan or boat,” Brendon said.
Another accomplishment at the supermarket is the five staff who have been at the store for the entire 30 years of its existence – Kylie Culpitt, Sonja Blank, Jenelle Rogers, Lyn Cross and Janette Owen all started their career there in 1994.
“They are such loyal staff and it is a big achievement to be at one store in one job for that amount of time. They are all part of the Lakes Entrance community. That is a great part of country towns, staff stay longer,” Brendon said.
The five staff members were presented with flowers and cut the 30-year anniversary cake which was shared by all staff.
