Ribbon cut on Lismore store transition
Ribbon cut on Lismore store transition
5 October 2022
Salvos Stores Area Manager Stuart Estreich, Northern Rivers Corps Officer Captain Philip Sutcliffe and Salvos Stores Lismore manager Peter Parker (centre of photo) watch as the ribbon is cut on the store reopening.
Twelve Family Stores across New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania have successfully transitioned to Salvos Stores, which brings to an end the Australia Territory’s pilot program launched last year.
Thanks to this success, up to another 50 Family Stores, which are generally run by individual corps, will soon experience the same benefits as Salvos Stores.
One of the latest Family Stores to relaunch under the Salvos Store brand is in the northern NSW city of Lismore, which was devastated by floods earlier this year.
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The inside of the Lismore Family Store after one of the flood events.
The store is one of four in the northern NSW region, overseen by Northern Rivers Corps Officers Captains Philip and Donna Sutcliffe.
The transition has been a long process after the original Family Store had 4.5m of water go through it during the February floods. The original transition date for Lismore was the end of March, and on that day, the store was once again under a metre of water.
“It has been a long rebuild after so much damage,” said Philip. “But the new store has been fitted out to be more floodproof and designed to be evacuated more easily.”
The official reopening as Salvos Stores Lismore took place on 1 September, with manager Peter Parker continuing in this role with the support of Area Manager Stuart Estreich.
“And we’re excited that our loyal volunteers can continue to do what they do best with the back-end support from Salvos Stores,” Philip said.
Being part of Salvos Stores enables corps officers to free up more time to focus on ministry in their local communities.
Captain Philip Sutcliffe and Area Manager Stuart Estreich and the Lismore team
“Trying to manage four stores, including workplace health and safety and volunteer compliance, as well as all the other things that corps officers are expected to do, can be challenging,” Philip said.
“We now have more time for planning and reflecting on where we can be in the community. It’s so freeing; we get to focus on what we’re here to do – spreading the love of Jesus.
“The store is still part of what The Salvation Army is doing in the Northern Rivers region, so we’ll still have a very strong connection with the store and continue to do mission and ministry out of the store.”
Under the Salvos Stores brand, local corps stores benefit from the experience and resources of a major national retailer, including an award-winning online shopping platform and seasonal marketing campaigns. In addition, business support with retail expertise is available to help each store meet compliance requirements, ensuring personnel deliver their mission safely and effectively while customers enjoy a consistent shopping experience in-store.
Most of the next 50 stores to transition are in NSW, Western Australia and Tasmania, which will take place from now until June 2024.
Corps officers with stores in Queensland, Victoria and South Australia/Northern Territory can also choose to transition their store. To express interest in your store transitioning, please have a discussion with your Area Officer in the first instance, or contact the Corps Store Transition team via email at corpsstorestransition@salvationarmy.org.au.
If you want to know more about the transition process or have feedback, please contact the project team at corpsstorestransition@salvationarmy.org.au.
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