Newstead small business owners say they have lost almost half their weekly trade while 1,800 Energex staff work from home during a renovation.
This major loss contradicts the statement of an Energex spokesperson who downplayed the impact, saying: “Staff might not buy a coffee or something for a while.”
Kwa Nguyen from Reddacliff Street business My Viet Kitchen reckoned business was down $5,000 a week, a loss of up to 50 per cent in trade.
Next door, Eric Soe from Hello Bibimbap estimated they have 50 fewer customers each day since the closure.
The government-owned utility at 26 Reddacliff Street said the move is a “fiscal necessity”, with 1,800 staff working from home since Easter.
Mr Nguyen said Cromwell Funds Management, landlord of their store and of the Energex building, has been covering half their rent.
The Energex spokesperson said the company had a financial responsibility to “the entire community” while the work was carried out.
“Energex is aware it will have an impact … but we are not going to be away all that long,” the spokesperson said.
“Every dollar we spend or save directly affects energy prices.
“Staff might not buy a coffee or something for a while, but we’re only going to be away for a few weeks. It is not like covid, when everyone was out of the office for months on end. We’ll be back before people know it … and once we’re back, we’ll be back with a vengeance.”
McConnel MP Grace Grace, a former Energex board member, said the small businesses should have been officially told about the renovations and their likely impact.
Energex House, a centrepiece of the Newstead Riverpark urban renewal project on the historic Gasworks site, was promoted as a “vibrant and cohesive working community” when it opened 16 years ago.
