CHEMIST Warehouse is coming to Wagga as part of a $13 million shopping centre at Estella, with earthworks expected to start before Christmas.
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Managing agent Stephen Millard, of Raine and Horne, said the long sought-after national discount chain was one of a number of confirmed tenants for the development on the corner of Avocet and Rainbow drives.
Other shops include a Foodworks supermarket (incorporating a Breadworks bakery), Foodworks Liquor, a takeaway food store and a hair and beauty salon.
Chemist Warehouse managing partner, Tony Bassaly, confirmed the group was coming to Wagga, ending a long and frustrating campaign which is expected to drive down the price of medicines and other products.
“From our point of view, we have wanted to come to Wagga for a number of years. I’m pretty sure it’s in The Daily Advertiser in 2006,” Mr Bassaly said.
Quirky chemist location rules that excluded Chemist Warehouse from physically entering Wagga for years have been overcome by the company buying the Estella Pharmacy in Avocet Drive.
The pharmacy, re-named My Chemist, will move into the new shopping centre under the name Chemist Warehouse. Mr Bassaly said the business would have about 30 employees and five pharmacists.
Mr Millard is exploring other tenancies at the shopping centre.
“We are talking to a butcher and a coffee shop,” he said. “We are seeking a gym, we are talking to a couple of people about that at the moment, and we are also seeking a child care centre.
“We expect to appoint a builder over the next couple of weeks, with a view to starting earthworks before Christmas. The view is we want the shopping centre trading by Christmas 2016.”
Mr Bassaly said opening in Wagga was very important for his group. “A number of our pharmacists and managers studied at Charles Sturt University,” he said.
Chemist Warehouse managing director Mario Tascone said in June that the highest percentage of the company’s online shoppers came from Wagga.
Wagga public health advocate Craig Hesketh welcomed the Chemist Warehouse announcement.
“It’s a good outcome for Wagga,” Mr Hesketh.
“I think it will be good for competition.”
Existing pharmacies in Wagga are unlikely to share Mr Hesketh’s enthusiasm, with Cincotta Discount Chemist pharmacist Sunny Singh telling the Advertiser earlier this year a Chemist Warehouse would lead to the closure of other pharmacies in the city.
Estella Progress Association president Paula Charnock said residents were very pleased to hear about the shopping centre starting date and the mix of shops.
