02/06/2026
Thanks to everyone who continues to support locally owned businesses like Marshall Machinery. It genuinely matters.
Boags is another common example of what can happen when successful medium-sized businesses are sold to larger corporations. 🙄
We’ve seen it time and time again. Local businesses spend years building markets, training staff, supporting customers, creating jobs, and investing in their communities—only to be bought out or squeezed out by larger competitors with deeper pockets.
In our own experience, we’ve seen larger companies run roughshod over smaller businesses that have done the hard yards. One local service station owner was reportedly told by a large supermarket manager that they may as well close, as the larger company could afford to trade at a loss until smaller competitors disappeared. We’ve seen similar pressure over the years on independent butchers, newsagents, hardware stores, bookshops, rural suppliers, manufacturers, and many family-owned businesses across Australia.
The short-term outcome might be slightly cheaper prices. The long-term outcome is often fewer competitors, fewer local jobs, less choice, reduced service, less innovation, and more money flowing out of local communities.
Other countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Norway, and Japan have placed a stronger focus on long-term ownership, local manufacturing, apprenticeships, skills development, and reinvestment in regional economies. The result is often more resilient industries and stronger regional communities.
Some practical ideas worth considering:
• Truthful country and regional origin labelling so consumers know exactly where products are grown and made
• Greater transparency around company ownership and branding
• Stronger competition laws to prevent misuse of market power
• More support for Australian-owned businesses, manufacturing, apprenticeships, and local jobs
• Encouraging long-term ownership and investment rather than short-term profit focus
Has anyone else noticed products marketed as “Tasmanian” when they’re clearly out of season or not genuinely grown here? Or large companies presenting themselves as small local manufacturers? Consumers deserve clear, honest information to make informed choices.
The goal isn’t to stop successful businesses growing. It’s to keep competition fair, support genuine local enterprise, and ensure communities don’t lose jobs, skills, and wealth in the pursuit of short-term profit.
Workers were told there would be job losses.
