Shiploads aiming to dock in New Norfolk by June

DISCOUNT retailer Shiploads has confirmed that it has a new store under development at New Norfolk. Managing director Ashley Wilson said the business was working with a local developer to remodel the old Woolworths supermarket at 17-21 Charles St to house a full-range Shiploads along with two other tenancies.

"Depending on the progress of the redevelopment works, it is expected to open the New Norfolk Shiploads by June. The New Norfolk store will trade seven days a week," Mr Wilson said.

Shiploads is a Tasmanian discount retail chain that employs more than 340 people across its network of 13 stores. "There has been much speculation over Shiploads coming to New Norfolk after opening stores across Tasmania in the last seven years. We have waited for the right opportunity to open at New Norfolk and the redevelopment of the old Woolworths site created the size that we needed for a full range Shiploads store,” Mr Wilson said.

“Whilst there are numerous small tenancies across the town, we need a large retail footprint to be able to offer the same range as our other stores. We also need access to significant parking to manage the large number of customers we serve," he said.

“Shiploads are not only excited about what the redevelopment will do the township, but the jobs growth it will create both during the redevelopment phase and when open for trade. We are excited to create more Tasmanian jobs. We are a genuine Tasmanian company and it is very important for us to create long term jobs for so many Tasmanians just like us,” Mr Wilson said.

Mr Wilson said Shiploads' New Norfolk outlet would employ 20 people in a mix of permanent and casual positions. Details will be available on their website and our Facebook page when the building works near completion. “Shiploads provide training and support to our ‘crew’. We don’t hire on retail experience. We look for people with energy, people who like work to be fun and people who genuinely believe in customer obsession,” he said.

Shiploads started trading in 2010, opening its first store at Cambridge. Since then it has expanded across the state to a network of 14 stores when New Norfolk opens its doors. "We are very proud to be Tasmanian and to have built a business from scratch to 14 stores across the state in just over 7 years. It has been hard work but extremely rewarding,” Mr Wilson said.

“It has been possible because we have amazing ‘crew’ across the state and importantly Tasmanians have supported a Tasmanian business because we are genuinely offering extreme value shopping,” Mr Wilson said.

The Derwent Valley Council has recently given the necessary approvals to enable a gymnasium and a bottle shop to operate in one the additional two shops being created by the redevelopment of the old supermarket.