3 February 2012

Aldi for Dickson

| johnboy
Join the conversation
31
aldi

Andrew Barr has announced there will be two new supermarkets going into Dickson and one will be an Aldi:

I am pleased to announce today that the Government will be seeking expressions of interest for the construction of two new supermarkets at Dickson. One of these supermarkets will be Aldi. The other will be a full-line supermarket, with the operator of the supermarket to be determined during the EOI process.

The two new supermarkets will give consumers greater choice in Dickson. It will mean a wider selection of places to shop, a wider variety of goods, and more competition, which can only be a good thing for keeping prices down.

It will also contribute to the renewal of the Dickson group centre.

And there was much rejoicing throughout the Inner North.

[Photo by Ell Brown CC BY 2.0 ]

Join the conversation

31
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest
Jordi Canadell12:30 pm 14 Feb 19

i have been waiting 6 years!! Where is this aldi

Where will Owen Campbell busk now? I doubt he will be getting any other work after this: http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/-/watch/28985275/agts-most-awkward-audition/

thanks for the tip!

Nice. Civic is closer to me than Dickson but the parking situation there sucks. I’m a little over Aldi but it’s good for fruit & veg, meat and most of the basics. I dunno if we need a third supermarket (I’m assuming Coles) but it wouldn’t hurt, I’d love it if it was 24 hours. I think they could probably open up a JB Hifi type store there, instead of having 5 in Civic.

bystander_effect10:49 pm 04 Feb 12

Sandman said :

ML-585 said :

“Two new supermarkets” does not guarantee that the existing supermarket (Woolworths) will remain open…

…Although if Woolworths did close, then something like a Farmers Market would work well on the site.

…Personally I’d like to see a hardware store down there instead of a 3rd supermarket. Inner North has been a pain in the butt since the Mitre 10 in Braddon got closed down. You need a $5 item to do a 10 minute job and it ends up taking well over an hour and the same $ or more in fuel to get to Fyshwick/Belco/Gungahlin…

I like both these ideas – a Farmers’ Market and/or a Hardware store at the existing Woollies site.

A Farmers’ Market would suit that site with all the pedestrian access and cafe scene in that precinct. I think it would catch a lot of shoppers who currently won’t go to one location to get supermarket items and then drive to another for fresh produce etc. This would put them in walking distance of one another. I wonder if there’s a way to get it to be economically viable on this land though.

A hardware store would also be very, very awesome. But then something additional would likely have to be done about the parking to support that. Can’t imagine people with bulky hardware items crossing roads and going to the new underground parking en masse would be a good thing. Maybe a smaller hardware store that just has your smaller commonly-used items (screws, nails, hand tools, paint, etc). The IGA of the hardware world.

Some supermarket competition for Dickson is pretty good news regardless of what may or may not happen with the existing Woollies site. Though I would lurve it if the farmers market thing could work! Epicureans delight!

devils_advocate said :

New Yeah said :

It would be nice to think so, wouldn’t it. But I wouldn’t bet on prices getting any lower.

I would definitely bet on it.

As would anyone who had the misfortune of moving out to gungahlin in the early 2000’s and “experiencing” how woolworths was run when it had a geographic monopoly, and then comparing it to how it was once coles opened up (night and day comparison). Service increased, prices decreased, it really was astounding.

Although the difference in moving from 2 to 3 retailers is likely to be less profound than the difference from moving to a geographic monopoly to a duopoly. But aldi is not a perfect substitute for coles and woolies anyway.

Overall I think it’s an unambiguously positive outcome. And it’s pretty rare I get the chance to say that.

you’re never supposed to say that… but you having done so, i’m inclined to agree to some extent but wonder about access to this improved amenity. where will the tin boxes all go?

and, for that, where exactly will these two new stored be located? (i suppose it is in a link in the story?)

Aldi has done more for my household economy than anything else since they opened in Gungahlin. Thank you Aldi.

sepi said :

there is already not enough parking at dickson.

underground parking is ok for a supermarket trip, but what will happen to the restaurants if noone can park after dark (ala gungahlin underground car parks which close up shop at 5.00.)

Bulldust. The carparks remain open quite late out in Gungahlin.

there is already not enough parking at dickson.

underground parking is ok for a supermarket trip, but what will happen to the restaurants if noone can park after dark (ala gungahlin underground car parks which close up shop at 5.00.)

ML-585 said :

“Two new supermarkets” does not guarantee that the existing supermarket (Woolworths) will remain open. Just remember what occurred at Manuka — when Coles opened in Manuka Terrace, the old Woolworths which had been there since the 60s (?) closed down since it was not able to compete with a brand new larger Coles.

Although if Woolworths did close, then something like a Farmers Market would work well on the site.

I’d be very suprised if Woolies closed. They just did a pretty major interior refit not long ago and they would have known then that this would be coming.

Personally I’d like to see a hardware store down there instead of a 3rd supermarket. Inner North has been a pain in the butt since the Mitre 10 in Braddon got closed down. You need a $5 item to do a 10 minute job and it ends up taking well over an hour and the same $ or more in fuel to get to Fyshwick/Belco/Gungahlin.

As for loosing the free parking- what free parking? All those select free areas are snapped up by employees early in the day anyway. A nice big underground Canberra Centre style carpark though, that would be much better. Tear up Wooley, Badham and Cape Streets as well and put in 2 storey underground carparks topped with a pedestrian mall.

nice_enough said :

Deref said :

Great news!

nice_enough said :

I’d rather they moved the farmers markets down there

Choku Bai Jo’s just around the corner at North Lyneham.

I do go there it’s great, but that’s nothing compared to the range you find at a fully fledged farmers market.

Also with “china town” around the corner having a farmers market in Dickson would turn Dickson into a foodies paradise. Which would be much nicer than a super market trolley wasteland.

Agreed. That’d be great!

devils_advocate4:08 pm 03 Feb 12

New Yeah said :

It would be nice to think so, wouldn’t it. But I wouldn’t bet on prices getting any lower.

I would definitely bet on it.

As would anyone who had the misfortune of moving out to gungahlin in the early 2000’s and “experiencing” how woolworths was run when it had a geographic monopoly, and then comparing it to how it was once coles opened up (night and day comparison). Service increased, prices decreased, it really was astounding.

Although the difference in moving from 2 to 3 retailers is likely to be less profound than the difference from moving to a geographic monopoly to a duopoly. But aldi is not a perfect substitute for coles and woolies anyway.

Overall I think it’s an unambiguously positive outcome. And it’s pretty rare I get the chance to say that.

“Two new supermarkets” does not guarantee that the existing supermarket (Woolworths) will remain open. Just remember what occurred at Manuka — when Coles opened in Manuka Terrace, the old Woolworths which had been there since the 60s (?) closed down since it was not able to compete with a brand new larger Coles.

Although if Woolworths did close, then something like a Farmers Market would work well on the site.

Aenveigh said :

There’s plenty of alternatives to driving to Dickson … I used to sometimes have trouble finding spare racks to lock up my bike to, there’s a bunch of buses through there (and a new Dickson interchange planned), and plenty of houses/apartments in walking distance.

Your suggestion for overcoming parking difficulties is to buy a house next to the supermarket? Not sure if that saves much money.

There seems to be a trend towards having a number of supermarkets close to each other. Ulladulla, for example, has gone from a smallish Franklins to a large Coles and now also has an Aldi and soon a Woolworths.

The big players arent idiots. If the money isnt there, they won’t build. So they must know something.

However, I’m not sure that the streets around Dickson can cope – its fine on Sunday morning but try to drive around anytime from about 5.15pm.

Thank you, Andrew Barr!

Skyring said :

johnboy said :

those worried about the parking should read the linked media release which, for what it is worth, is promising vast underground parking.

Yeah, but during construction there will be a huge loss of spaces, which is going to make parking in Dickson absolute hell for a couple of years.

And when it’s complete, there will be no more free parking. It will all be the “get a ticket at the boom gate” thing. As it stands now there are a few keenly-sought after free parks, parking is generally free at certain times, and if you are prepared to chance it from the parking inspectors – like leaving one person in the car while the other pops in to get a book from the library or something – parking is always free.

They should use dynamic pricing for the parking, as SFPark does. If demand is low, it’s free; if demand is very high, price goes up until there’s some vacancy (enabling you to get a spot if you must drive). There’s plenty of alternatives to driving to Dickson – I used to sometimes have trouble finding spare racks to lock up my bike to, there’s a bunch of buses through there (and a new Dickson interchange planned), and plenty of houses/apartments in walking distance.

http://sfpark.org/how-it-works/
http://www.reinventingparking.org/

nice_enough said :

I’d rather they moved the farmers markets down there, ….

HOLY crap, that is a great idea!

Personally i use Aussie Farmers Direct for groceries and my local IGA for incedentals like dunny paper. ColesWorth are dead to me…

Skyring said :

smeeagain said :

New Yeah said :

Three supermarkets?!?! I’m not sure that will work. Seems to be the same logic from the 70s whereby putting service stations next to each other was supposed to keep petrol price down.

Why not build one somewhere else, I dunno, maybe Gungahlin?

There is already an Aldi at Gunghalin…

Wouldn’t having two next to each other improve competition and drive prices down?

It would be nice to think so, wouldn’t it. But I wouldn’t bet on prices getting any lower.

smeeagain said :

New Yeah said :

Three supermarkets?!?! I’m not sure that will work. Seems to be the same logic from the 70s whereby putting service stations next to each other was supposed to keep petrol price down.

Why not build one somewhere else, I dunno, maybe Gungahlin?

There is already an Aldi at Gunghalin…

Wouldn’t having two next to each other improve competition and drive prices down?

Deref said :

Great news!

nice_enough said :

I’d rather they moved the farmers markets down there

Choku Bai Jo’s just around the corner at North Lyneham.

I do go there it’s great, but that’s nothing compared to the range you find at a fully fledged farmers market.

Also with “china town” around the corner having a farmers market in Dickson would turn Dickson into a foodies paradise. Which would be much nicer than a super market trolley wasteland.

johnboy said :

those worried about the parking should read the linked media release which, for what it is worth, is promising vast underground parking.

Yeah, but during construction there will be a huge loss of spaces, which is going to make parking in Dickson absolute hell for a couple of years.

And when it’s complete, there will be no more free parking. It will all be the “get a ticket at the boom gate” thing. As it stands now there are a few keenly-sought after free parks, parking is generally free at certain times, and if you are prepared to chance it from the parking inspectors – like leaving one person in the car while the other pops in to get a book from the library or something – parking is always free.

I also share the concern over the amount of business that *three* supermarkets can do. Unless there’s a threefold increase in customers, it just means that things will sit on the shelf for three times as long on average. Fine if it’s a bottle of plonk, not so good if it’s a bunch of grapes.

Great news!

nice_enough said :

I’d rather they moved the farmers markets down there

Choku Bai Jo’s just around the corner at North Lyneham.

New Yeah said :

Three supermarkets?!?! I’m not sure that will work. Seems to be the same logic from the 70s whereby putting service stations next to each other was supposed to keep petrol price down.

Why not build one somewhere else, I dunno, maybe Gungahlin?

FWIW I don’t think Dickson Woolies is anywhere near as crowded/slow/mania-inducing as it has been in the past.

There is already an Aldi at Gunghalin…

New Yeah said :

Three supermarkets?!?! I’m not sure that will work… Why not build one somewhere else, I dunno, maybe Gungahlin?

Because Gungahlin already has the big three.

those worried about the parking should read the linked media release which, for what it is worth, is promising vast underground parking.

gospeedygo said :

nice_enough said :

I’d rather they moved the farmers markets down there, something more like the markets in inner Melbourne, for example South Melbourne markets etc. Not sure having 2 or 3 supermarkets near each other offers REAL competition.

That idea makes far too much sense. It’ll never catch on.

Or you could drive your bullock dray a few minutes down the road to Choku Baijo in North Lyneham. Farmer’s market produce without the crowds.

Three supermarkets?!?! I’m not sure that will work. Seems to be the same logic from the 70s whereby putting service stations next to each other was supposed to keep petrol price down.

Why not build one somewhere else, I dunno, maybe Gungahlin?

FWIW I don’t think Dickson Woolies is anywhere near as crowded/slow/mania-inducing as it has been in the past.

nice_enough said :

Could get a nice purpose build structure and would really add to the atmosphere of Dickson, which around woolies is basically pretty droll (and even scary).

Droll means funny in a whimsical kind of way. Is that what you meant and how is that a problem?

I would like to buy things at ALDI, but Mr Poetix says he won’t eat anything that comes from there. I’ll try starving him into submission…Or lying.

Interested to know if there’s some kind of multi-level carpark involved in all of this? Even with 1 supermarket Dickson’s never been great for parking, less so after filling in the 2 main carparks with more shops.

Not sure I completely agree with the competition policy anyway. One shop is too well located and makes too much money – so let’s see how they like it when forced to split profits 3 ways! That’ll show ’em!

nice_enough said :

I’d rather they moved the farmers markets down there, something more like the markets in inner Melbourne, for example South Melbourne markets etc. Not sure having 2 or 3 supermarkets near each other offers REAL competition.

That idea makes far too much sense. It’ll never catch on.

I’d rather they moved the farmers markets down there, something more like the markets in inner Melbourne, for example South Melbourne markets etc. Not sure having 2 or 3 supermarkets near each other offers REAL competition.

Farmers Markets create more jobs and provide cheaper and better quality products and support the local region producers.

A Farmers Market in Dickson could be open 3-4 days a week (possibly more) instead of being crazy busy on just the Saturday. Could get a nice purpose build structure and would really add to the atmosphere of Dickson, which around woolies is basically pretty droll (and even scary).

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.