It wasn’t that long ago that retailers were falling over each other to grab a piece of the action in Singleton and who could blame them with headlines saying the town had full employment and its workers were amongst the most highly paid in the state.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Singleton and much of the region sailed through the GFC (Global Financial Crisis) remaining unscathed from all the financial turmoil that was causing so much heartache in the rest of the world.
Our good luck in the GFC was due in part to record prices for our commodities most notably for us coal which at the height of the boom was selling for more than $US140/tonne in 2011 whereas the latest prices at the end of the financial year were just above $US70/tonne.
How times have changed. Singleton is no longer running on high octane there are homes to rent plenty of them, there are homes to buy at reasonable prices and there are plenty of vacant shop fronts.
Speaking to local business operators across the board times are tough with anecdotal evidence suggesting turnover is down between 20- 30 per cent. When will the good times return? Who knows but in the meantime we can look forward to the revitalisation of our main street which hopefully will not only lift our spirits but make our town centre more attractive to retailers and shopper alike.
And we must also remember that its our local small businesses that support the community in so many ways. Have a look at any local business and their walls are generally festooned with certificates of appreciation from sporting and other charitable groups. When thinking about your discretionary spending think about who sponsors your child’s netball or soccer team, who donated gift vouchers for the fundraiser and who employs local people in particular our young people. So please support our local businesses.
