New pool and spa retail business to open in Warrnambool

The doors on their new Raglan Parade store, Crystal Water Pool and Spa, officially open on Monday but on Sunday they will hold an open day.

"We're doing an open day Sunday. We'll throw the doors open so people can see what we're about and pretty much run it like a normal day and then Monday straight into it," he said.

Mr Finn moved to Warrnambool about six months ago after doing mobile servicing along the Great Ocean Road for the past seven years.

"Originally we were just looking at getting a storage shed because we outgrew our area but with Clark Rubber closing their doors we just saw an opening and bit of a need for the Warrnambool, Portland and Port Fairy areas," he said.

He said when the Warrnambool Clark Rubber store closed its doors on January 31, the calls started coming.

"Our phones just went crazy for service work but there's also just people wanting to get a pool test done and buy their chemicals," he said.

"That's just the market we're opening to really."

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While starting a pool business in the lead-up to winter might seem an odd time to open the doors, Mr Finn said there had been an increase in the number of people putting in spas in Warrnambool.

"The pool industry has had a bit of boom through COVID," he said.

"There's just a lot of holiday money going into people's backyards instead.

"So there is quite a few spas going in in the area.

"That might be more of a thing to have a bit more warmth in winter."

Mr Finn said most people wouldn't realise how many pools there were across the region.

"There's a lot of commercial pools, you'd be very surprised," he said.

"There's a lot pools hidden away in Warrnambool that you wouldn't realise are there."

Mr Finn said that prior to moving to Warrnambool, he had about 250 pools on his books and now, with the potential after the Clark Rubber closure, he could have about 900 pools between Colac, Warrnambool and the Great Ocean Road.

"We're starting a retail business but the business is already there to an extent," he said.

"We're doing a premium store. We'll be going with all the top-level suppliers and all the technologies they bring so, with the water testing and the management systems they've got, it's something a bit more advanced than most."

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Mr Finn said he would take care of pools and spas but not installation.

"Pretty much everything other than the installation of the pool itself," he said.

"It should go well, it's just staffing and winter are the two dangers for us starting out."

Mr Finn said that despite having a number of jobs on offer, there had been very few applicants which came as a surprise.

"The hardest part is staffing to be honest and finding people wanting to work," he said.

"We really haven't got a great deal of applications come through for either job we've advertised.

"It's been a bit disappointing actually. I thought there'd be a lot of people looking for work at this time but it hasn't been the case, well not so far anyway. We're trying to get some friendly faces in the store and someone who can be hands-on to learn a bit about what I do."

Finding staff to fill vacant positions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic is something that hit a number of sectors, predominately the hospitality industry.

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