KPP Business Development
Does a model for success exist?
The importance of Community Stores in remote regions of Australia cannot be over emphasised. The Community Store is far more than just the place to buy food. In many Communities, it is the only enterprise activity; the place where people meet; where banking is done; where mail is delivered; and where telephones can be accessed. In the Kimberley, Communities can be isolated for weeks at a time through the wet season, and residents rely on the Store to meet many of their external needs.
In any review of Community Stores, it must be understood that the dynamics within each Community varies. Each Community has different dynamics based on the number of family groups, the relationships between those family groups, the dominance of particular family groups and so on. These differences simply mean that no one operating model can be developed that will work across all Communities. We therefore need to start to focus on a common outcome, rather than a common business model. KPP works in a number of communities, supporting the community store opeartions. The objective for genuine sustainability must be local community management and we have developed a number of trading models that are currently in operation. Call us for details.
Broome Chamber of Commerce
Funding Opportunities
http://www.rdakimberley.com.au/Funding-Opportunities
Broome CIRCLE Inc is a not-for-profit Community Information Resource Centre and Learning Exchange. Timetable of upcoming courses and activities can be found at:
http://www.broomecircle.org.au/broome-circle-timetable/
RETAIL TRADING IN TOUGH TIMES
In the Kimberley region of Western Australia, the retail sector is estimated to be valued at around $345m and employs 1,104 people (representing 8.6% of the Kimberley workforce). This ratio is marginally higher in Broome, where the retail sector employs 10.76% of the employed population. This paper has been prepared with the intention of taking account of lessons learnt over times of previous economic downturns. It is not intended to be alarmist but rather provide retailers with some alternative strategies to deal with a changing economic environment. The basic economic concept of consumption smoothing can help to understand what we might expect in the developing economic climate.
Consumption smoothing refers to how individuals behave to maintain a certain standard of living. All things being constant, this means that individuals will use savings to compensate at times when income is low but save when incomes are high, therefore “smoothing” their consumption patterns to achieve a balance. This doesn’t suggest that spending increases or decreases with changes in income but rather that the peaks and troughs will be less dramatic. The theory suggests that consumers won’t spend a dollar less with each reduced dollar earned or vica versa. Call KPP on 08 9192 8766 or email info@kpp.net.au for the 8 guiding principles for retailers.
Tourism across the country has taken a hit. The nervousness of the international market post the GFC has deferred the plans for many to visit what (at the best of times), is an expensive destination. Coupled with the value of the $AUS, we’ve seen unprecedented numbers of Australians choosing to holiday overseas rather than in Australia.
So what does a region such as the Kimberley need to do to survive this downturn so that businesses and operators are still here when the pendulum turns again? What is the role of Tourism Australia, Tourism WA, Australia’s Northwest, regional Visitor Centres, Chambers of Commerce and local Shires and what are local operators and businesses dependant upon tourism supposed to be doing? KPP has extensive experience in tourism and specifically, as it impacts the Kimberley.
Qantas Australian Tourism Awards 2013
Berkeley River Lodge awarded Silver in the New Tourism Development category. http://australiantourismawards.com.au/