Rob and Sam Outridge celebrated 25 years at Maleny IGA on October 2.  

Established by English born John Tytherleigh in 1905, the Universal Providers Maleny IGA store has undergone many overhauls in it’s 115 years. But in that time the business has only had 6 owners, and has maintained the commitment to family and community that was the foundation of it’s inauguration all those years ago.

A resident of Landsborough, John Tytherleigh was well known as a community minded man who became the first Mayor of the newly proclaimed Landsborough Shire. During his 39 years of residence in Landsborough, John took an active interest in public affairs. He was looked upon as a wonderful clear-minded and able leader. Under John’s leadership the Landsborough School of Arts and Shire Hall were built. Despite his active interest in public affairs John Tytherleigh never neglected his business or family. He had a family of 4 daughters & 2 sons, all of whom were involved in the Tytherleigh empire.

The Tytherleigh’s Maleny store was eventually bought out by G Eustacé in the early 60’s. Later the store was purchased by W Ross when it was a 4-Square, then Struben & Cook in the 70’s when the store became a Supa-Valu Food market. The Frew family took on the business in the 80’s and on the 2nd of October 1995, Rob and Sam Outridge took the reins of the business and it has undergone many transformations in that time. The couple reintroduced the Universal Providers trademark for Maleny Super IGA.

“At the time, it was a food store combined with Tru Value Hardware,” Sam said. “And straight away there were major renovations and upgrades to replace everything from the registers to the refrigeration and flooring. When we first took over, it was coming into summer and there were many nights when Rob got called in to the shop to hose down the condensers to keep the fridges going!”

The building was basically gutted during the first wave of renovations with everything being replaced from fixtures and fittings, to the floors which were replaced with the now iconic Tasmanian oak flooring. “You can still see the different eras in the ceilings though,” said Rob.

“We made a point of using as many local tradesmen, architects and key people as we could during our renovations, because it has such a terrific multiplier effect back into the community.”

Over the years there has been substantial investment made into the store with numerous extensions, renovations and innovations. From the outset, the couple blazed a trail in terms of creating a shopping experience unlike typical supermarkets. The country town feel has been enhanced with sophisticated, metropolitan styling and product lines. This creativity and innovation has been recognised and awarded many times over, with the business receiving an award in 1998 for the Best Independent Supermarket in QLD, and multiple national awards for fresh produce, deli and checkouts. Rob and Sam have also been inducted into the Sunshine Coast Business Awards Hall of Fame.

Since 1995, Rob and Sam have employed over 1,000 locals, many of whom were school aged children who got their first job at Maleny IGA.

“It is very gratifying to us when parents of our past employees thank us for giving their child their first work opportunity. We have been told by many parents that their child’s employment and training with us was one of their best work experiences,” Sam said. “It is so nice to catch up with our past employees when they come into the store as successful adults, sometimes with their own children.”

Maleny SUPA IGA has a well earned reputation for carrying boutique and specialty products from local suppliers, and it is a point of difference that truly separates them from the larger supermarket chains.

“A lot of local producers and suppliers have enjoyed their start in business through our store,” Rob said. “Around 15% of our range is supplied by local businesses. We have become a bit of an incubator for business start ups, with industries from IT companies to primary producers starting out with us and in some cases, going on to become large, extremely successful companies. Maleny Dairies is a good example of this,” he said. “We are also passionately committed to sourcing, showcasing and stocking Australian products and this has been backed up by a growing demand by consumers for Aussie products. Our Aussie Wobblers campaign this year has been so well received and supported by our shoppers.”

While Rob and Sam have supported countless community groups and not for profit organisations since 1995, they formalised this commitment to give back to the community with their Community Benefits Club (CBC), scheme in 2006. “We found that the same groups typically benefited from our support, but there are so many worthy organisations doing fantastic work in the community and we wanted to give our shoppers the option to support the organisations of their choice,” Rob said. “It seemed like a very democratic way for the funds to be allocated back into the community and it meant that value could be added to a wider range of community groups.”

Community receives $1.6m as IGA prospers

Since 2006, more than 200 community organisations have received $1.6 million thanks to the CBC scheme.

“Our number one beneficiary is the Sippy Creek Animal Refuge; we deliver pallets of pet food to them at a time,” Sam said. 

“We are aware that there are some groups that have been kept afloat thanks to the funds that flow back to them from CBC, so it really is a win win situation for everyone concerned. It is wonderful that our customers can see the difference they can make by shopping with us.”

There have been many sleepless nights and challenging times over 25 years and according to Rob and Sam, the learning curve remains immense.

“We approach our business as a marathon rather than a sprint,” Rob said. “Our challenge is always to stay ahead of the curve as much as possible and today there is more competition for us than ever before.”

“People are so much more educated today than when we started out, and their tastes and dietary requirements have also changed quite dramatically,” Sam said. “For example, twenty five years ago, gluten and lactose intolerance was almost unheard of. Whereas now, people have much higher expectations in terms of choice. In our part of the world, we are so spoiled when it comes to clean, fresh, high quality produce and while we recognised that right from the start, it has become more important than ever.”

“I think the most gratifying part of the experience has been looking back and seeing the value we have been able to add to our community by supporting family owned small businesses and employing local people,” Rob said. “Family and community are everything in the end, and here in Maleny, I hope that we have had a positive impact on both.”