When IKEA announced last week that they would be delivering to rural areas around Australia, Mudgee included, many were excited that they would no longer have to travel to Sydney to shop at the store.
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The Mudgee Guardian Facebook page was overwhelmed with comments, tags and shares from people excited about the announcement.
However, while the average person might be keen for some trendy Swedish homewares, the change has some local businesses concerned.
The Mudgee Guardian called multiple stores in town whose business offerings overlap with IKEA’s selection of home wares and decoration with some declining to speak on the record.
Owner of The Inside Shop on Church Street, Donna Hughes was happy to speak with the Mudgee Guardian about how she thinks it could affect the local economy.
“People just have to think, if they keep shopping online or shopping out of town they won’t have the brick and mortar shops we’ve got now, Donna said.
”We support things like local sporting teams and schools. Whereas places like IKEA and Kmart don’t supporting anything.
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While it’s concerning, Donna understands consumers’ desire for the lowest price, but warns it often comes with strings attached.
“It’s all fine to get cheaper products but at the end of the day, if something goes wrong you’re left chasing them to get it fixed, she said.
“With us local sellers, the prices might be higher, we get that people want to save, but you’re getting better quality in the end.
“I had a woman recently bring back a 15-year-old crock pot that had some issues and I spoke directly with the supplier and they sent her a brand new one worth hundreds of dollars. You can’t beat that.
“Local should be your first option.”
IKEA makes a regional move
Online shoppers in Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and other towns like Mudgee will be able to purchase parcel-sized IKEA goods online and have them delivered to their homes for $9.
IKEA Australia multichannel manager Michael Donath said the company also plans to expand the delivery of larger items in the future to the wider Central West.
“We will make IKEA accessible to more people through our parcel service for Central West NSW,” Mr Donath said.
“We’re on our way to make our whole range available, including larger items, but right now we are excited about bringing some IKEA products to the area.
Shoppers in Orange can even get large-scale packages like sofas and kitchens delivered from $69.