After more than three decades in business Kerry and Shane McPherson have handed over the reins of the Penola IGA, which has been sold to the Rugless Retail Group.
The couple has known the Rugless family for many years and said when the opportunity to sell the business came along, they felt the timing was right.
“They have got similar values to us, they’re a good family business,” Mr McPherson said.
“It was a fairly big job, coming to terms with it and going through the motions of selling a business.
“It was a big decision, but we think it’s the right decision.”
The McPhersons were passionate about the business and spent 19 years in the former Penola IGA site before building the new store 13 years ago, which blossomed into the successful operation it is today.
Mrs McPherson said the Penola IGA was not just a job or a shop, it was also their home and their staff were like family.
“It’s still really an emotional rollercoaster for us, I think it will take a while to come to terms with it, but it’s a good thing,” she said.
Mrs McPherson said they put careful consideration into who they sold the business to and believed the Rugless family were the right people.
“It was not about just selling for us, it had to be someone else who had the same values as us,” she said.
“We know they will continue to do things that we would dream about.”
Before their involvement with the IGA business, the couple was living in Geelong.
Formerly from Mount Gambier and Tarpeena, they decided to move back to the region to raise their family.
When they returned, the supermarket was up for grabs, so they made the purchase and the rest was history.
Mrs McPherson said Penola had been good to them from the beginning and they wanted to give back to the community.
“I think it’s important to give back as much as you can because we’re forever grateful they supported us,” she said.
“The community and your customers, they’re the most important thing to you, without them you have got nothing, so you look out for them where you can,” Mr McPherson said.
The couple have received some major awards over the years, including the 2011 Channel Two Store of the Year, the National Community Award in 2019 and were inducted into the IGA Hall of Fame last year.
Mrs McPherson said they had been very fortunate to receive the awards, but they won them due to their great staff and the support of the community.
“To be graced with those awards, it’s just very fulfilling, you do not win those awards on your own, it’s a whole team effort,” she said.
The couple thanked their staff and the community for their loyal support over the years and for their well-wishes.
They will now take some time out and spend quality time with family, including their eight grandchildren.
“Overall, we think we are really blessed to have done what we have done and achieved what we have achieved,” Mrs McPherson said.
