How Hackett shops survived their landlord exit
A community syndicate raised $1.4m in nine weeks to buy the village green strip.
By Dave Mulligan16 June 20266 min read AI assisted
AI illustrationCommunity
Illustration: AI-generated for What's On Canberra. Not a photograph; no real people or places are depicted.
When the long-time landlord of the Hackett shops announced plans to sell to a Sydney-based fund, residents had nine weeks to find an alternative.
A community syndicate organised through the Hackett Residents Association raised $1.4 million from 217 households, settling the purchase on 28 May.
The bakery, bookstore and Vietnamese kitchen all stay. Under the new lease structure, locally-owned businesses receive a 12 per cent rent discount.
Convenor Sarah Whittle says half a dozen other small shopping strips across north Canberra have been in touch to learn the model.
Share
Related stories
Free weekly events digest
Get the week's best events in your inbox.
One free email every Thursday with the best gigs, markets, food and family things to do in Canberra. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Free. Independent. No paywall, ever.