Vol. No. Vol. 2218No. 23 27
FREE PUBLICATION
A FREE PUBLICATION FROM YOUR LOCAL RADIO STATIONS 3WM AND MIXXFM
Wednesday,December January 13, 2016 Wednesday, 4, 2019
YOU’RE SLEIGH-IN’ IT! Santa Claus gets groovy with his dance troupe for crowds at Horsham Carols by Candlelight on Sunday night. The annual event, featuring special guest performer Silvie Paladino and Wimmera talent including Aaron Murray and Horsham School of Music students, followed a weekend of activities and entertainment that were embodied by Horsham’s Kannamaroo Festival. Story, page nine. For more pictures of the weekend’s festivities see pages 26 and 27. Picture: WADE MORROW
New stations progress R
BY SARAH SCULLY
ecruitment is underway for about 85 jobs in Horsham and Stawell as popular South Australian retailer OTR prepares to become a major player in the Wimmera’s convenience market.
The new developments, comprising petrol stations and retail stores, will create more than 55 jobs in Stawell and 30 positions in Horsham when they open in the next four months. Wimmera leaders have welcomed the employment boost and increased business competition, with Northern Grampians Shire mayor Murray Emerson saying residents were eagerly anticipating the new addition to Stawell’s retail landscape.
“It is an exciting time for our community having OTR coming here, it is certainly something this community has been wanting for a number of years now,” he said. “I think all of our community is getting very excited that we are going to have a 24-hour service station and retail convenience store. “It’s like bringing a big city offer into a regional town centre.” OTR head of community partnerships and PR Joann Skene said the Stawell store, set to open by its projected date in March next year, would be the largest and most innovative new store being built outside big cities across Australia. It will feature a BP service sta-
tion featuring a ‘truckies lounge’ with showers and a laundry, a Hungry Jack’s, 24-hour retail, barista-made C Coffee and an automatic touchless car wash. “Stawell will be the biggest OTR store in regional Victoria. It has a much bigger footprint than the others,” she said. Ms Skene said because the outlet and its franchises remained entirely owned by OTR, they could ensure a high level of service and quality control. “Our model has a lot more accountability with the team and we recruit local people in our teams for this exact reason,” she said. “All the work done during construc-
tion and the work on the ground once the store is open is all with local people. We don’t bring people in from interstate to run stores in the local region.” Once open, the store will employ at least 55 staff across three shifts, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The development has already created 40 new trade jobs in both Stawell and Horsham during a construction phase. Ms Skene said OTR would open its new 24-hour stores on the corner of Wilson and Darlot streets, and Dimboola and Wawunna roads, in February. OTR Horsham Wilson Street was originally due to open this month, but Ms Skene said the company pushed
back the date due to a construction delay. Both stores will offer BP fuel, C Coffee, supermarket items, OTR’s Eat products and Moe’s Dog and Shake. The Wilson Street store will have an automatic car wash. Horsham mayor Mark Radford said it was exciting to have two new businesses set up shop in Horsham. He said the council had worked through an extensive planning process with OTR to satisfy different requirements at both sites. “For the station opposite May Park we have worked with the company to ensure they can work in harmony with their next-door neighbours,” he said. Continued page 3
IN THIS ISSUE • Major cycling tour in region • Police: Alternatives to theft available • Hornets back on track
artisanHP 0000
Phone: 03 5382 1351 Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
AUDITED: 22,395 COPIES
April 2019 to September 2019
Source: AMAA; CAB Total Distribution Audit for further information visit www.auditedmedia.org.au
Meet Santa
Weekdays 3-5pm, Weekends 11am-1pm.
HORSHAM
PLAZA K MART • SPOTLIGHT • THE REJECT SHOP BEST AND LESS • SPECIALTY STORES WWW.HORSHAMPLAZA.COM.AU DARLOT STREET HORSHAM
Post your Santa letters here, every letter receives a reply! HAPPY SNAPS $6 IN A FOLDER
cracker christmas