Death of the corner store? Metcash job cuts signals bleak future

The move by grocery wholesaler Metcash to sack 478 staff and close 15 Campbells Cash & Carry outlets signals a “bleak” future for corner stores and milk bars according to retail experts.

Metcash’s closure and redundancy plans reflect the reality of consumers increasingly bypassing the corner shops that the business supplies in favour of the price advantage of supermarkets and the convenience of petrol stations.

Chief executive Andrew Reitzer told The Australian that Metcash had seen an “accelerating decline” of traditional neighbourhood grocery stores, whose convenience was no longer enough for customers to ignore their higher prices.