Shepparton businesses moving online during COVID-19 with the help of grants

Council has said Riverside Gardens at Kialla, Stellar Coffee on Wyndham St and GB Coffee on Maude St were examples of the more than 20 local businesses to have already applied for and obtained funding.

Manager Murray Smith said Riverside Gardens’ grant would be used to update the business's website.

“With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic we quickly realised that our website was inflexible and outdated, and didn’t allow us to keep our customers up to date with the changes we were trying to implement to allow us to keep trading,” he said.

Mr Smith said the grant had allowed his team to address the problem.

Stellar Coffee owner Matt Kington said the café’s grant would be put towards a raft of online developments.

“Our grant will be put towards building a website for Stellar to create online traffic and also some social media and Google upgrades,” he said.

“We are also looking at installing a tablet and working with an app partner that will allow people to order and pay for their coffee before they arrive, which will help us save time and limit the amount of people in-store at one time.”

Owner Mark Shadbolt said GB Coffee would be using the funding to make long-term plans a reality.

“We will use the grant to develop a new website with an online store included,” Mr Shadbolt said.

“We had been thinking about doing this before the world was turned upside down, but with reduced turnover we could not commit funds to do the work.”

The total pool of grant funds is $120 000 and council has said it will support projects until all funds in the pool have been expended or until August 1, whichever occurs sooner.

For more information, and to apply for a Quick Response Grant, go to the Greater Shepparton City Council website.