'It's disappointing': Business group revival falls flat as apathy wins out

City councillors last year warned that apathy among businesses could prevent a group getting off the ground, and now it appears they could have been right.

While city council staff visited 500 businesses in person to drum up interest, and a survey found 75 per cent were in favour of a business representative group, only two people were willing to step up.

Moves to reform a group came after small business commissioner Lynda McAlary-Smith urged Warrnambool to form a chamber of commerce during a visit to the region in April 2022 sending a message they could miss out if they didn't.

The council attempted to facilitate the formation of what would be an independent group but to no avail with only two nominations coming in to join the group when submissions were invited in May.

An unsuccessful attempt to establish a traders' levy for Commerce Warrnambool in 2014 had sparked major backlash and any business group has struggled to get any traction since then.

The council's city growth director Luke Coughlan said that at the end of the day, for a chamber of commerce to be successful, it needs to be driven by local businesses.

"Unfortunately, at this point in time, there hasn't been the level of commitment needed to establish a business representative group," Mr Coughlan said.

"Our staff visited over 500 businesses in-person to discuss the prospect of a business representative group, we held two business events about the topic and it was also featured on our website, social media channels, there was coverage in local media outlets and we also sent emails to our business database," he said.

A survey conducted last year indicated that 75 per cent of respondents were in favour of a business representative group, with six per cent against and 19 per cent unsure.

Subsequently, 48 businesses expressed interest in being involved and 24 individuals indicated interest in an advisory or committee role.

"So it appears that there is a collective belief that a chamber of commerce would be beneficial, and we had a good level of expressions of interest in some earlier stages but unfortunately there haven't been enough people put their hands up to help lead the group at this stage," Mr Coughlan said.

"While it's disappointing, council will continue with its diverse business support programs and initiatives delivered by our economic development team."

He encouraged people to participate in the 2024 Warrnambool Business Survey at www.yoursaywarrnambool.com.au.