Albany's $30m windfall
Albany’s Anzac commemorative weekend has injected about $30 million into the local economy but some businesses missed out, according to Albany Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Local businesses were warned to prepare for more than 60,000 visitors but official numbers have revealed about 40,000 people attended the commemorative events.
ACCI chief executive Russ Clark said commercial results were a “mixed bag” and said hire companies, accommodation providers and restaurants located within the event precinct fared well, while those outside the central area experienced average trade.
“I spoke to a local butcher and he said the week leading up was like Christmas with regulars coming in and stocking up for their guests … Woolworths was out of milk on Tuesday,” he said.
Mr Clark said although market research was commissioned to determine how many visitors to expect, accurate numbers were hard to predict.
“This was an inaugural event, there was no precursor to it,” he said. “What it did was build Albany’s brand with a view into the future of what Albany can achieve … “We loath to put commercialism into Anzac, but that’s a reality. Maybe it didn’t live up to some people’s expectation, having said that, for some it did.”
White Star Hotel ordered a month’s worth of supplies for the weekend but operations manager Helen Simpson said business was quieter than predicted.
“We definitely had more customers than usual, but nowhere near the numbers we were expecting,” she said.
Ms Simpson said the popular pub lost revenue after booking entertainment acts Alex Lloyd and Eskimo Joe’s Kav Temperley.
“We were disappointed they weren’t supported at all,” she said.
Sharp Infusion owner Dan Sharp, who catered the Stirling Terrace Mess Hall, has been advertising leftover food.
However, hospitality businesses such as Ivy on York and Dylans on the Terrace had a business boom.
“We were much busier than usual — Saturday was crazy,” Ivy chief cook Jeanne Van Zyl said.
Dylans owner Morris Blake said he was also pleased with the response his business received.
ACCI has released an economic impact survey for businesses.
