The news follows the retailer’s announcement that its shopfronts would shut down and the business would transition to an entirely online trading model.
While the final closure date of the Shepparton outlet is yet to be confirmed, the company has indicated the store will most likely close towards the end of the year, subject to remaining stock levels.
About eight employees work at the Shepparton store and will be affected by the closure.
After more than 80 years of providing fabric, materials and homewares to Aussie crafters, Lincraft is winding down its 28 stores nationwide, following changes in consumer behaviour, rising operation costs and growing pressure from low-cost overseas retailers.
Roughly 300 staff will be affected by the move, although Lincraft has guaranteed that all entitlements will be paid.
It comes after a prolonged period of challenging retail conditions, the company said in a statement announcing the move on Tuesday, June 16.
The company began as a market stall in Melbourne in 1938 before being taken over by current owners John Maguire and Brian Swersky as Lincraft Australia in 2005.
Lincraft is the latest in a long line of established Australian retailers to be affected by changing consumer appetites.
Barbeques Galore recently made the move to close its 62 company-owned stores, with 500 staff members facing redundancy.
But Shepparton’s Barbeques Galore franchise store will remain open, alongside the other 26 franchise stores nationwide as they determine a path forward.
In October 2024, Mosaic Brands group – the company behind Millers, Noni B, Katies, Rivers, Autograph and others – announced all its stores would close by April 2025, including several in Shepparton.
The group has 763 stores and employed about 3000 people in Australia and New Zealand.
– Brynne Timewell with AAP
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