Charlotte Varcoe
INCREASED costs to swimming facilities may leave Mount Gambier/Berrin families more out of pocket, but businesses are trying to minimise the impact.
An increase in crucial swimming pool cleaning chemicals has forced SwimSkool Mount Gambier owner Vivienne Peate to increase her prices a year earlier than normal.
Ms Peate said the cost of hydrochloric acid increased from $250 to $300 recently leading her to increase her prices this July.
“Unfortunately in July I will have to increase my prices but I will make sure they are modest increases,” Ms Peate said.
“As for all households, the cost of electricity has increased; specifically for my business, gas, wages, rent, insurance, cleaning products have all increased in cost.”
She said electricity and gas increases had also hit the business hard and although she could negotiate her electricity account she could not do the same for her gas.
“I am surviving and I believe swimming is an essential skill to have so I want to keep it as affordable as possible for as many families as possible so while I do have to increase my prices, it will be a modest increase,” Ms Peate said.
“I try to keep the prices in line with household budgets and make it easy for parents to pay it off if they need to and inflation is everywhere and as a business you are just expected to suck it up and put up your prices.”
She said she was not eligible for any government assistance and the day she could no longer afford to run the business would be the day she would have to retire and shut it.
“I am hoping that day is not for a long time,” Ms Peate said.
“I typically only increase my swim lesson prices every second year by $10 for a 10-week term, but now I will increase them by $5 per year to minimise the impact of cost hikes across the business expenses.”
She said she believed the community needed to come together and “get through this period of inflation” while also “finding savings wherever possible-if at all possible”.
Ms Peate said other cost increases included insurance, rent, bills and more.
Jaypak Distributor general manager Debbie White said increases had been across the board of most product ranges at different times.
“Most recently pool chemicals have had significant increases and some of these increases have been exacerbated by increasing fuel and freight costs and of course the increased business costs due to inflation,” Ms White said.
“Businesses are well aware of the increases in product prices as well as price increases in utilities and many other overheads.
“Businesses have come to the conclusion that while they were able to absorb some increases initially, that ultimately at the end of the day for the business to remain viable, increases need to be passed onto the end user.”
Ms White said all businesses have been affected by the price increases but she believed hospitality had been significantly affected.
“This has been coupled with the increase in the cost of living for the general consumer, which has a flow-on effect of determining what is a need compared to a want in the consumer budget,” she said.
“The volatility in the supply chain market is slowly improving and any product price reductions are being passed onto customers.”
She said despite this, there was still evidence of increased prices in some areas such as pool chemicals.
“People need to continue to shop local as it is the local distributors which will look after their clients with excellent products and also service,” Ms White said.
