Woolworths and Coles are getting around Millicent’s Sunday trading restrictions with deliveries

On By Pranco

A South Australian council has raised concerns that Woolworths and Coles are skirting retail trading laws by offering delivery services on Sundays, when supermarkets in Millicent are not allowed to open.

Millicent is by far the largest town in South Australia where larger stores are not allowed to open on Sundays, but the two major supermarkets do deliver groceries to residents of Mount Gambier, about 50 kilometers away.

Millicent has repeatedly voted against easing restrictions, most recently in 2017.

Wattle Range Council last night voted to write to federal MP Tony Pasin and state MP Nick McBride with their concerns and to invite the Millicent Business Community Association to investigate whether the deliveries breach South Australia’s Shop Trading Hours Act.

Millicent, Mallala, Kybybolite, Frances and Binnum are located in ‘declared shopping districts’ where shops larger than 400 square meters cannot trade on weekday evenings, except Thursdays, and must close on Sundays and public holidays.

In other regional parts of the state, shopping hours have been deregulated.

Cars drive and park along a street lined with trees and shops

There is an IGA supermarket on Millicent’s main street that may be open on Sundays. (ABC South East SA: Isadora Bogle)

Residents were asked to consider the long-term consequences

Councilor Dale Price said the deliveries were damaging smaller stores in Millicent and nearby smaller towns.

“The deliveries are taking away revenue from some of these stores, especially the last-minute service,” he said.

“We want people to ask themselves: does delivering something actually have an impact on local communities in the longer term?

“In small townships you lose a facility, you may lose another and then you start losing population.”

Cr Price said residents should also consider whether their online shopping behavior is hurting local businesses.

“I wanted to spread the word in the community so that the community can think about the implications that may arise from their lazy shopping,” he said.

Two small trucks with Coles on them and pictures of strawberries in a concrete delivery hall

Coles supplies Millicent but does not have a local store. (ABC South East SA: Eugene Boisvert)

Business association uncertain

Sarah McGrath, president of the Millicent Business Community Association, said she had noticed an “influx of delivery vehicles” into the city, but also realized that some people could only accept deliveries on Sundays or had disabilities that made deliveries necessary.

“Is it the case that they just like to use that service because they want home delivery?” she asked.

“I think it’s more that we need to engage our city council and people or organizations like ours to ask questions of our community if their needs have changed after the COVID-19 crisis, but we also need to take into account how we support our local small businesses and what we do next. with that information.

“I think we always have to be very careful and not just assume that someone is trying to break the rules, but what do we need to do to best support everyone in our community, especially small businesses?”

A Woolworths and Coles trolley clipped into a bay

Woolworths and Coles share the supermarket market in South Australia with Foodland. (MONKEY: Joel Carrett)

The Millicent Foodland supermarket does deliver, but not on Sundays.

Sunday trading was first allowed in South Australia in 2003, with hours further relaxed in 2022.

Coles does not have a store in Millicent and declined to comment.

Woolworths has also been contacted for comment.