Businesses buying locally

Fifty-seven percent of Ballarat businesses’ goods and services spending went out of town in 2007.

Ten years later that escape spend has dropped to 41 percent. Good but not great said Jodie Gillett, CEO of Commerce Ballarat.
“Reducing escape spending creates the opportunity to generate local jobs, leading to stimulation of our local economy,” she said.

“Purchasing locally creates and retains local jobs and adds $2.7 billion to our economy.”
For every dollar spent outside the region it means that someone is missing out. A business, its employees, suppliers, customers and the broader community.

Neil Doolan, General Sales Manager Eclipse Ford, said he is passionate about keeping business local.
Businesses often get tapped on the shoulder to support clubs, organisations and charities in Ballarat.

“Every time someone buys a big-ticket item out of town, they are getting it from someone who doesn’t actually support the town at all,” Mr Doolan said.

“That means if everyone decided to buy out of town, the businesses wouldn’t have the money to be able to pay for sponsorships and charity and so forth and it would really make the local society collapse in that way.”
Mr Doolan explained what the dealership calls the “eclipse challenge”.

“If you live in our prime market area of Ballarat and you are in the market to buy a car and get a quote from us and another dealer out of town on exactly the same new car, if we can’t make it worth your while to buy local, we will give you $2000 for giving us the last opportunity,” he said.
In the 20 years this offer has been on the table they have given away the money only four times.

“I know it sounds ridiculous buy we never walk away from a local customer,” he said.
Michael Cushing, Sales Director at Ballarat’s Telstra Business Centre Plus IT said he and the business are all about supporting the local community.

He sees the Business to Ballarat initiative as a key driver to support the local economy and assist growth in Ballarat.
“Where possible we deal direct with other Ballarat businesses for our goods and services spending,” Mr Cushing said.
“Our insurance broker Remingtons is a Ballarat business, my current car is from Eclipse Ford and our fleet cars are from Ballarat Toyota.”