Top 100 benefitting businesses from ChooseCBR voucher scheme released

A list of the top 100 businesses that benefitted from the ChooseCBR voucher scheme has been released by the ACT Government, but the list has raised some questions about how businesses could claim such a large number of vouchers in the 25-hours the scheme ran.

Food retailers were the greatest beneficiaries. Almost 40 per cent of the vouchers were claimed at stores like grocers, while more than one in four were redeemed at cafes, restaurants and takeaway shops.

Daily Market City & Gungahlin topped the list, receiving 3.3 per cent of all vouchers redeemed.

Business Minister Tara Cheyne defended the scheme, saying the vouchers resulted in more than $5.1 million being spent at businesses across Canberra.

“These numbers show extraordinary demand from consumers and are testament to the enthusiasm of local businesses who embraced the scheme, marketed it, and encouraged old and new customers to come in and spend, and to spend more,” she said.

Ms Cheyne previously said the government would not release the list as she said the information was commercial in confidence.

Government figures revealed that 19 businesses redeemed more than 500 vouchers and 133 businesses redeemed more than 100 vouchers before the $2 million scheme ended.

To redeem 500 vouchers, a business would have had to redeem one voucher every three minutes for the entire 25 hours the scheme ran since it restarted at 7:00 am last Friday (18 June).

With voucher values ranging between $10 to $50, businesses that claimed above 500 vouchers would have made between $5000 and $25,000 from the vouchers alone.

Shadow Business Minister Leanne Castley has urged a review by the Auditor-General.

“Concerns remain about the speed in which vouchers were redeemed, which is one of the reasons we need an independent review by the Auditor-General,” Ms Castley said.

“The Auditor-General must scrutinise the entire scheme; in particular, transactions that took place over a 25-hour period.”

Neither the Legislative Assembly nor MLAs can instruct the Auditor-General to commence an inquiry, although parties can make a referral.

Ms Cheyne said a comprehensive review is already being conducted. She has written to the Auditor-General advising the office about the scheme’s review and that the findings of the review would be presented to the Auditor-General.

Earlier this week, Ms Cheyne said she had heard anecdotal evidence that businesses were manually redeeming vouchers late into the night, including vouchers submitted online, which explains why some vouchers were processed between midnight and 6:00 am.

Ms Cheyne said there had been no reports of the scheme being misused but conceded that it might not be possible for the review to determine whether some customers had exploited the scheme by signing up twice.

An analysis of the scheme’s trial found a questionable pattern of inexplicable transactions across three businesses worth $5355.

The government did not seek to recover the money as it would have cost more than the transactions were worth, Ms Cheyne said, although the three businesses were banned from participating in the scheme’s full rollout.

Almost 800 businesses took part in the voucher scheme, 180 of which received less than $50 from the scheme.

One in five Canberra businesses that were eligible under the guidelines participated in the scheme.

The top 100 businesses were:

1. Daily Market City & Gungahlin
2. Hualong Supermarket
3. Chemist Warehouse Belconnen Markets
4. Deji Asian Supermarket
5. Oriental Groceries
6. Panda Fresh Mart
7. Mega Convenience Store
8. Mani Asian Supermarket
9. Wukong Hotpot & Super Emoji
10. Bestore Asian Supermarket
11. Sai Gon Asian Grocery
12. Fresco Seafood
13. Sycamore Medi Spa
14. Ebest Canberra
15. Asian Supa Grocery
16. Easi Mart Kingston
17. Z Cosme Store
18. Yum Cha CBD
19. Vina Groceries
20. Ginger and Spice
21. Chilada & VR Canberra
22. Emart Asian Supermarket
23. Desi Bazzar
24. Tak Kee Roast Inn
25. The Food Forum
26. Oscar’s Bakery Cafe
27. Yesmart
28. Gungahlin & Jamison Plaza Travel Associates
29. Raku Dining
30. Lost River Produce
31. Gungahlin Lakes Golf Pro Shop
32. Pandora Belconnen and Pandora Canberra Centre
33. MK Butcher
34. Weston Asian Grocery
35. Nikki Cosmo
36. Toyworld Fyshwick & Toyworld Belconnen
37. Super Emoji Citywalk
38. Dymocks Canberra
39. Cool Buy
40. Jimmy’s Place
41. Hing Shing Butcher
42. 606 Asian Supermarket
43. ACT Fruit Veg and Butcher
44. National Zoo & Aquarium
45. The Golden Drum
46. Deakin IGA
47. Ai Buy Market
48. UC Supermarket
49. Dendy Cinemas Canberra Centre
50. Rashays Belconnen
51. The Scholar Chinese Seafood Restaurant
52. Bellchambers Music School
53. Little Sprout
54. Chinese Inn Restaurant
55. Rusden Europro Automotive
56. Dymocks Belconnen
57. Tasty Fish Market
58. Mont Adventure Equipment
59. Guzman y Gomez Canberra Centre, Belconnen & Gunghalin
60. Here Collective
61. Impact Comics
62. Capital Chemist Dickson
63. Continental Grocery & Halal Meat
64. Bidgee Golf Shop
65. Super Emoji Gungahlin
66. TG-ONE Groceries Coffee
67. Ziggys Fresh Belconnen
68. PappaRich Canberra
69. Asian Provisions
70. IGA Drakeford
71. Fortune Box
72. Tackle World Canberra
73. Bread & Butter Café
74. POP Canberra
75. Kippax Asian Grocer
76. Across The Board Cake Decorating Pty Ltd
77. Pandora Tuggeranong
78. O2 Hair
79. Chic Gourmet
80. Tasting China
81. Smart Dollar Tuggeranong
82. Star Buffet
83. Let’s Be Natural
84. Pharmacy Select Gungahlin
85. Latorta
86. Landspeed Records
87. Canberra City Gymnastics Club
88. Daily Market Kambri
89. Discount Grocery Store Phillip
90. Sichuan Chinese Restaurant
91. Pedal Power ACT
92. artKids Canberra
93. Crafty Frog
94. Bellelis
95. Limelight Cinemas
96. Capital Chemist Lyneham
97. Rashays Tuggeranong
98. Akikambara
99. Belconnen Chicken
100. Hey Show Karaoke.

Original Article published by Dominic Giannini on The RiotACT.