Bizarre reason residents refuse to shop at local Chemist Warehouse store
Chemist Warehouse’s bright yellow exterior has left residents of a northern Sydney suburb seeing red.
Former immigration minister Philip Ruddock is taking on the high street giant in Pennant Hills over its paint job.
He’s threatening to plant trees around the local Chemist Warehouse unless the chain tones down its bold yellow paintwork.
Mr Ruddock, the Hornsby Shire mayor, has refused to shop at the store until a solution is found.
“It’s only when you get something as garish as this that you ask yourself, ‘How did we allow this to happen?'” he said.
The building housed a Commonwealth Bank branch for decades however it is not heritage listed, which meant when the new tenant moved in in 2014, council had no control over the paint job.
“How JB Hi-Fi is yellow or Officeworks is blue – Chemist Warehouse is yellow,” the chain’s pharmacist Winny Lim said.
Local historian Patricia Dewey said she “hated” the colour when it was applied.
“I avoid going past it because it virtually upsets me to see those colours in an area and in a suburb I’ve called home for 40 years,” she said.
Ms Lim said it was “quite surprising” to hear about the complaints.
“We opened up in late 2014 so it’s been about five years. We’ve never heard anything about this,” she said.
While he’s unlikely to mellow on the yellow, Mr Ruddock concedes he can’t force changes to the building but he can try to cover it up.
“I think the only option I’ve got is to plant some large trees in front of it,” he revealed.
Another option being explored by Mr Ruddock is to ask the State Government to prescribe councils with more power over paint jobs.
“I’m not anti-development. I’m in favour of what I call ‘appropriate development’.”
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