Thursday, 12 November: Dan Murphy’s parent company Endeavour Group has confirmed that the retailer is planning to move the site of its proposed store in Darwin following community feedback. 

The new proposed site is between McMillans Road and Osgood Drive - near the Sabine Road intersection - and would be in the midst of an already developed area. The site is still part of the planned Darwin Airport Retail Precinct, however it is a greater distance from the Bagot Community than the originally proposed site. 

“The new site is further away from local Indigenous communities and we believe the change will help to alleviate some of the key concerns,” said Shane Tremble, General Manager Corporate Service for Endeavour Group.

“We have spent a lot of time having meaningful conversations with local communities to understand their views, listen to any concerns they may have and to address them,” he added. 

The company has been working closely with the Elders and leaders of both the Minmarama and Kulaluk communities and have committed to a number of measures that we believe will mitigate the risk of alcohol related harm. Both of these communities have expressed their support for the revised application. 

The measures include the development of a Responsible Service and Consumption Plan to ensure that the store has appropriate product ranging, pricing and promotion and a commitment to a precinct management committee to ensure that the area around the proposed store is properly managed. 

“We have been having conversations with the NT Government for some time now about the possibility of moving the location of the store following community feedback,” Mr Tremble added.

If approved, the Darwin Dan Murphy's would have the most stringent set of alcohol control policies anywhere in the country.

“We have been and continue to engage with local communities to listen to and address any concerns they may have and incorporate them as part of our Responsible Service of Alcohol Management Plan. If approved, we are committed to continuing an open dialogue with the people of Darwin,” Mr Tremble said.

The Dan Murphy’s store would be the anchor tenant of the proposed Darwin Airport Central retail precinct, worth approximately $30 million of private investment. The development of the store and the retail precinct is estimated to create 200 construction jobs, and more than 150 permanent jobs going forward.

The development of the Darwin Dan Murphy’s alone is estimated to inject $15 million to the local economy in the construction phase, including 163 jobs over approximately seven months. 

If approved and operational, Dan Murphy's will directly employ up to 40 team members, made up of approximately 15 full time team members and up to 25 permanent part time or casual team members. This represents an additional $6.5 million in salary and wages for the local economy. Additionally, maintenance and cleaning will be contracted to local suppliers. 

The proposed Dan Murphy’s store would be what the retailer classifies as a ‘fine wine precinct’ which means half of the entire product range would be wine, with most falling into the premium category ($20 per bottle or more). The store would have a dedicated Fine Wine area, designed to showcase some of Australia’s and the world’s best wines.

If the store is approved, it could be trading within 12 months of the decision.