Shire looks at reviving Perenjori supermarket

The Shire of Perenjori is looking to bring a supermarket back to town.

The town’s only supermarket went into receivership two years ago, and still sits in disrepair after it was heavily damaged by cyclone Seroja.

Since the previous supermarket closed, locals have been forced to travel to nearby towns such as Morawa, 42km away, to buy groceries, or rely on a weekly courier service for deliveries from Geraldton.

“There’s a reasonable amount of community support for reopening the supermarket,” Shire president Chris King said.

After a late motion was tabled at Perenjori’s last council meeting, the Shire will now appoint a project manager to prepare a business plan, outlining the possibilities of buying the site of the old supermarket, currently owned by Westpac. Shire CEO Mario Romeo threatened Westpac with a demolition order after an inspection found the building unfit for human occupation. If the Shire were to purchase the site, Mr King said it would be a costly process to rebuild.

“Local governments provide a lot of services that don’t make money. I defy you to find a local government that makes money on its swimming pool,” he said.