AFTER 32 years in business, the owner of a local hardware store is hanging up the hammer.
The Mitre 10-branded Swan Hill Hardware store, which has faced a public battle following the arrival of hardware giant Bunnings, will shut its doors in “at least a couple of months” according to owner Leigh Cowling.
Mr Cowling has been in the Swan Hill hardware business since 1983 and told The Guardian that the decision comes after his store experienced a dramatic drop in sales following the May arrival of Bunnings to Swan Hill.
In an effort to combat his shrinking profits, Mr Cowling ran an infamous advertising campaign promoting discounts of up to 25 percent less than competitor Bunnings.
However, Mr Cowling says this was an unsustainable strategy.
Currently sales at the Mitre-10 branded store are better than the same time last year, but the store cannot continue to operate on such significant discounts and last week launched an official closing down sale.
“Had we done this sale prior to Bunnings opening, our sales would have doubled, or even tripled,” Mr Cowling said.
To read this story in full, pick up a copy of today’s paper (Wednesday July 1).
