Target's planned exit from Batemans Bay this month has encouraged rural mayors to jointly lobby the retailer to change its mind.
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Eurobodalla Mayor Liz Innes and the mayors of Gilgandra, Temora and Tenterfield, met Target Australia representatives on Tuesday.
The clothing and homewares retailer is due to leave its Orient St premises in late April and is also slated to close in other regional areas.
The Target announcement in February was followed this month with news that Big W intended to close stores in regional areas.
Cr Innes hoped to persuade Target that the planned opening of liquor outlet Dan Murphy's on a nearby site in Batemans Bay would boost retail in the area.
"I was there to show support to my fellow mayors and to encourage Target to review its decision to close its Batemans Bay store," she said.
"They gave us a really good hearing and there was an enormous amount of goodwill and genuine passion from the mayors to try and find solutions.
"Dan Murphys will add to the offering of businesses in the southern end of the Batemans Bay CBD, and has the potential for flow-on benefits through increased foot traffic to Target Country," she said.
"It would be a shame if Target didn't wait and see whether business did improve before shutting the doors.
"We openly discussed options for alternative business models, but ultimately the online presence is having a major impact on the retail outlets, and that's recognised.
"We all appreciated the opportunity to speak frankly and openly, and while Target representatives agreed to consider continuing further dialogue to explore ways to keep the stores open, they were non-committal and conscious of not setting false expectations that stores wouldn't close as planned."