World-first shopping centre drone delivery service takes off in Logan

Wing, Australia’s first on-demand residential drone delivery service, is partnering with leading Australian retail property group, Vicinity Centres, to pilot a new model of delivery, flying goods from retail shopping centre rooftops, directly to homes and businesses in southeast Queensland.

Wing and Vicinity Centres have been piloting the drone delivery service, the first-of-its-kind in the world, from the rooftop of Grand Plaza in Logan, Queensland, since mid-August, delivering goods on-demand from a range of businesses located at the centre directly to consumers, by drone.

Participating businesses include food and beverage outlets, Sushi Hub, Boost Juice, and Chatime. From today, local community pharmacy TerryWhite Chemmart will also commence offering drone delivery of over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, personal care, general health, and beauty products.

In the first six weeks of service, Wing made more than 2,500 contactless drone deliveries from Grand Plaza to customers in parts of the Logan suburbs of Regents Park, Heritage Park, Park Ridge, Browns Plains, Marsden, Crestmead, and Berrinba. The service will soon expand to more customers and other delivery from other businesses located at the centre.

Last month, Wing marked two years of drone delivery service in Logan, having already made more than 50,000 drone deliveries to the local community in 2021. The introduction of this new delivery model follows expansion of the service earlier this year, with Wing now offering delivery to 19 suburbs in Logan with a combined population of more than 110,000 people.

“We’re delighted to explore this new model of delivery with Vicinity Centres. For the first time, we are co-locating our drones with businesses at their premises, rather than local businesses having to co-locate their goods with us at our delivery facility,” Jesse Suskin, Wing’s Head of Policy & Community Affairs, Australia, said.

“With the increase in consumers’ desire for convenience and speed, on-demand drone delivery can help address the costly last-mile delivery challenge, reduce road congestion and emissions, and create new economic opportunities for businesses by utilising their existing retail space as logistics hubs and fulfillment centres.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the team at Vicinity Centres to further develop new delivery models that can complement the retail businesses located at Grand Plaza, and if successful, potentially roll out similar models in other locations across Vicinity Centres’ retail property portfolio.”

World’s First Rooftop Drone Delivery Service | Wing – YouTube

Vicinity’s Chief Innovation and Information Officer, Justin Mills, said the Wing drone delivery pilot helped retailers unlock the value of their physical store to optimise omnichannel retail.

“The retail industry is changing, and Vicinity is employing a test and learn approach in areas critical to the role of Australian shopping centres in the future. We believe the partnership with Wing will be an important component of our overall distribution and fulfillment strategy and support our new growth strategy,” said Mr Mills.

“Almost two thirds of Australia’s population live within 30 minutes of one of our 61 strategically located centres. This national footprint provides a strong foundation to implement our distribution and fulfilment strategy by rapidly scaling our drone delivery partnership with Wing and further developing our co-located logistics hubs and micro fulfillment centres.

“Exploring new technologies like drone delivery means our retailers may provide customers with game-changing product deliveries in minutes rather than days, while also reducing their carbon footprint.

“Our partnership with Wing is a natural extension of our distribution and fulfilment strategy which will help retailers use physical stores and our shopping centre network to get their products in customer hands quicker and more efficiently.”

Learn more about Wing

Signs are strong for small business

Logan City Council has underlined its commitment to supporting local business by signing the Small Business Friendly Councils charter.

City of Logan Mayor Darren Power this week joined Minister for Employment and Small Business Di Farmer and Queensland Small Business Commissioner, Maree Adshead, to become the 16th council state-wide to sign the charter.

Representatives from the three local chambers of commerce – Logan, Logan Regional and Beenleigh-Yatala – also co-signed the charter.

There are more than 22,000 small businesses across the City of Logan that help drive the local economy and provide local jobs.

By signing the Small Business Friendly Councils charter, Council has committed to supporting those local small businesses in their specialist areas and helping to reduce red tape.
Cr Power said pledging to the charter added to Council’s existing high-level and multi-faceted support for local business.

This includes the Council-operated Logan Office of Economic Development, which offers small business advice, workshops and assistance towards relocation, expansion and redevelopment.

Council this month also endorsed a new Economic Development Strategy 2022-2027, which is driven by a vision that ‘Logan’s economy is everyone’s business, with Council leading the way’.

The Strategy also includes the formation of the Mayor’s Local Job and Skills Taskforce, which will engage with local businesses to create employment opportunities.

“In addition to helping them build a resilient and sustainable workforce, Council will work closely with existing businesses across all sectors to grow the local economy and attract new customers and investment,” Cr Power said.

Minister Farmer said small businesses are the heart and hubs of local communities.

“They are our families, our friends, our neighbours and they keep our communities strong,” Minister Farmer said.

“It’s fantastic that so many councils have committed to the small business friendly charter, with many others lining up to join them.”

Commissioner Adshead said the whole community benefits when councils work closely with local business.

“I look forward to continuing to work with all concerned to bring real benefits to the local small business community in the Logan region,” she said.

To support local businesses and the community, Council has launched the ‘Think Local, Buy Logan’ campaign which encourages locals to shop locally.

To set an example, Council has also committed to a ‘Buy Logan’ procurement policy with a target of channelling 45 per cent of Council’s $500 million annual products and services spend towards local providers.

How to start a home-based business

Are you thinking about starting a home-based business or are you already in business and need to know more?

Logan Office of Economic Development is hosting a series of workshops across Logan, explaining the fundamentals of starting a new home-based business.

Our dedicated team of Small Business Advisers will explain the fundamentals of starting a new business. You will work through a Business Start-Up Checklist, identify where you are up to and discover what else you need to do before successfully starting your new venture. You can then develop your action plan to make it all happen.

You will learn:

  • The fundamentals of starting a new business
  • What you need to work on to successfully get your business started

At the completion of the session you will leave with:

  • A Business Start-Up Checklist
  • Ongoing support from your local Small Business Adviser
  • An action plan to start your business

A one-to-one follow up meeting is available to assist you further and embed the ideas/principles of the session.

View the list of locations and dates by visiting loed.eventbrite.com.au. Free to attend, registration is essential.

Date and Time Location
Tuesday 28 September 2021
7.30am – 9.30am
Brookhaven Sales Centre
33 Menora Road Bahrs Scrub 4207
Thursday 21 October 2021
9.30am – 11.30am
Flagstone Community Centre
19 Trailblazer Drive, Flagstone
Tuesday 23 November 2021
10am – 12pm
Logan Central Library
26 Wilbur Street, Logan Central QLD 4114
Tuesday 7 December 2021
2pm – 4pm
Jimboomba Library
18 – 22 Honora Street, Jimboomba QLD 4280
Tuesday 25 January 2022
10am – 12pm
Gould Adams Community Centre / Hyperdome Library
66 – 70 Mandew Street, Shailer Park QLD 4128
Tuesday 15 February 2022
10am – 12pm
Logan West Library
69 Grand Plaza Drive, Browns Plains QLD 4118
Wednesday 16 March 2022
9.30am – 11.30am
Springwood Community Centre
Cnr Cinderella Dr and Vanessa Blvd, Springwood
Tuesday 19 April 2022
9.30am – 11.30am
Beenleigh Entertainment Centre
Cnr of Crete and Kent Streets, Beenleigh
Tuesday 17 May 2022
9.30am – 11.30am
Chambers Flat Community Centre
49-65 Kenny Road, Chambers Flat
Wednesday 15 June 2022
9.30am – 11.30am
Crestmead Community Centre
Gimlet St, Crestmead

Workshops delivered in partnership with Homebase and NBN.

New strategy inspires jobs and investment

Attracting new investment, supporting local businesses and boosting youth employment are among the key pillars of Logan City Council’s new five-year Economic Development Strategy.

Council today endorsed the strategy which is driven by a vision that ‘Logan’s economy is everyone’s business, with Council leading the way’.

The Economic Development Strategy 2022-2027, accompanied by a five-year Implementation Strategy, was developed after extensive community and stakeholder consultation and feedback.

The development of the Strategy included an independent economic analysis report and eight economic opportunity roundtable events with stakeholders and local business owners.

A prevailing theme across all consultation activities was the high level of business and community confidence in the City of Logan’s economic future, despite the setbacks of the last year due to pandemic lockdown and restrictions.

There was also a strong desire among local businesses to support City of Logan residents through education, training, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities.

The new strategy will see Council’s economic support directed into major areas including:

  • Growth from within by supporting the evolution of existing businesses and industries
  • A focus on job quality, training and career pathways for youth and job seekers
  • Leveraging the city’s location and strengths to attract national and international businesses
  • Tapping into emerging industries
  • Further development of the local day and night-time economies to nurture hospitality, creative and entertainment options

Mayor Darren Power has taken a hands-on approach to boosting the local economy with the formation of the Mayor’s Local Job and Skills Taskforce, which will engage with local businesses to create employment opportunities.

He said Council would also be strongly promoting and supporting Council’s ‘Buy Logan’ procurement policy, which has a target of channelling 45 per cent of Council’s annual products and services spend towards local providers.

“Every business in Logan matters and Council will continue to work with them all to help consolidate their existing core operations while also building for future growth, resilience and success,” Cr Power said.

Economic Development Chair, Deputy Mayor Jon Raven said Council will continue to build on recent success in attracting new investment to the city as well as tapping into new and emerging industries.

“The City of Logan is already a destination of choice for national and international businesses looking to expand or relocate,” Cr Raven said.

“This Strategy will ensure we continue to be a leader in driving economic growth and creating local jobs.”

The Strategy also includes programs to boost employment and education opportunities for local youth. These include:

  • Collaborating with schools and education providers
  • Expanding the popular Catapult youth entrepreneurial and enterprise skills program
  • Developing programs that help align businesses and skills with local jobseekers

“Young people make up 30 percent of our population but are 100 per cent of our future,” Cr Raven said.

“We want Logan’s youth to actively participate in the growth of our city – economically, socially and culturally.”

A publicly available version of the Economic Development Strategy will be made available by the end of the year.

Fund to attract new business

A Logan City Council initiative to attract business and create employment has been tailored to target emerging sectors such as clean technology, health and medical providers and tourism.

The highly successful Investment Attraction Incentive Fund (IAIF) was this year allocated $3 million over the next three years to attract investment from business operations and projects that provide significant economic benefit and job creation for the City of Logan.

Economic Development Chair, Deputy Mayor Jon Raven, said amendments to the scheme, to be adopted at a future Council meeting, would enable Council to diversify the types of industry looking to set up business in the city.

“As our city continues to grow, we had to think about the kind of industries we could attract that would also provide employment opportunities for locals,” Councillor Raven said.

“This creates real opportunities for the next generation, kids who attend school here, can go to university here or get a trade and then start a career somewhere close to home.

“By targeting emerging industries, we know there will be demand for these products and services well into the future.

“This provides some certainty around long-term economic outcomes for the city and has a ripple effect by attracting further investment.”

Industrial biotechnology, education and health, transport and logistics and the creative arts are industries on the radar.

Council will also introduce a high priority investment list which targets assets that are either non-existent, under-represented or highly sought after by the business or residential communities.

This could include a hotel, short-term accommodation, tourism attraction, or boutique food outlets.

Since its inception in 2018, the initiative has attracted 15 businesses and is estimated to generate more than 940 new and retained jobs and inject around $120 million into the local economy once all projects have been completed.

LSKD CEO Jason Daniel at the site of his new headquarters building in Loganholme

LSKD have recently invested in Logan with a new HQ and warehouse underway in Loganholme

Successful recipients include street sportswear brand LSKD; DHL Supply Chain; V Resource; Help Enterprises; Go1; The Plumbing Industry Climate Action Centre; ATP Science; Border Express; and BlockTexx.

BlockTexx founders Graham Ross and Adrian Jones recently relocated their textile recycling business from Sydney to a 2220 sqm operation at Loganholme.

The clean technology company recovers polyester and cellulose from textiles and clothing and will inject around $43 million into the local economy.

It will provide 30 jobs in the short-term and recycle 4,000 tonnes of textiles using the company’s proprietary Separation of Fibre Technology (S.O.F.T.) solution.

Mr Ross said large manufacturers, government bodies, corporations and charities are all looking for opportunities to reuse and repurpose unwanted fabrics – such as uniforms, hotel sheets and unsold stock.

Deputy Mayor Jon Raven with BlockTexx co-founder Graham Ross and samples of recycled fabric

Deputy Mayor Jon Raven with BlockTexx co-founder Graham Ross and samples of recycled fabric“We spoke to a lot of Councils from around the county and we decided on Logan. The council has been highly supportive of our relocation from Sydney,” he said.

“Logan ticks all the right boxes and we are excited to build Australia’s first commercial scale textile recovery facility at our new location in Loganholme.”

Visit our incentives page for more information on the Investment Attraction Incentive Fund and other incentives to invest in the City of Logan

Logan is the drone delivery capital of the world

Wing has announced the City of Logan as the drone delivery capital of the world. From Wing’s early days delivering to a small group of customers in two suburbs in 2019, the drone delivery company is now making thousands of deliveries each week to 19 suburbs, with a combined population of more than 110,000 people.

Jesse Suskin, Wing spokesperson and Head of Policy and Community Affairs, says that the company has completed more deliveries globally in the second quarter of 2021 than in the entire year of 2020. “Wing saw a 500% increase in deliveries worldwide in 2020 over 2019, and we’ve continued to grow at a similar rate in 2021.”

“We’ve seen a significant increase in use of our on-demand drone delivery service in South East Queensland this year. Wing has already made more than 50,000 deliveries to the Logan community in 2021, with almost 4,500 deliveries in a single week, during the most recent Queensland COVID-19 lockdown in early August.”

“We heard from a number of customers that they found on-demand drone delivery especially useful as they stayed home, and relied on our contactless service to deliver the things they needed.”

In the past year, Wing customers in Logan have:

  • ordered more than 10,000 cups of fresh barista-made coffee;
  • had more than 1,000 loaves of bread delivered to their home, saving a trip to the shops;
  • kept break time interesting as kids transitioned to remote-learning with more than 1,700 snack packs ordered for morning and afternoon tea;
  • tucked into more than 2,700 sushi rolls to beat the lunchtime cravings; and
  • made more than 1,200 hot chooks fly, just in time for family dinner.

With celebrations and major events in Queensland being impacted by COVID-19 this year, Wing was there to ensure Logan residents didn’t miss out on the joy.

“In April this year, as residents were asked to stay at home in the lead up to Easter, we delivered more than 250 chocolate eggs, bunnies, and hot cross bun packs to customers in Logan. Earlier this month, as the Ekka was cancelled, we delivered more than 500 showbags, dagwood dogs, fairy floss, and strawberry ice creams to give customers a little taste of Queensland’s
favourite show from home.”

Improvements to the delivery service in 2021 include new, quieter aircraft to address residents’ concerns over noise, and the addition of delivery services to non-residential addresses to supply workplace essentials along with popular items like coffee and snacks.

Jesse Suskin says the next 12 months are exciting for the company. “As Wing expands over the next year, we’ll continue to improve our service’s ability to meet the needs of the communities we serve and the local businesses we support. While local businesses currently co-locate with us at our delivery facility, in the coming months we’ll be exploring new delivery models, including co-locating our on-demand drone delivery service with businesses at their premises.”

“For over two years, we’ve worked closely with the Logan City Council, small businesses and the larger community to offer a first in the world drone delivery service. We’re thrilled that the Logan businesses we deliver for, and the many thousands of Logan residents who are customers have found the service convenient and valuable. We look forward to continuing our investment in the City of Logan, expanding our service, and working closely with the Logan City Council and community to continue making last mile delivery, safe, fast and environmentally friendly.”

Jesse Suskin from Wing with drone in the sky overhead

Jesse Suskin, Wing spokesperson and Head of Policy and Community Affairs

Wing currently delivers to parts of the following suburbs in Logan:

  1. Beenleigh
  2. Berrinba
  3. Bethania
  4. Browns Plains
  5. Crestmead
  6. Edens Landing
  7. Heritage Park
  8. Holmview
  9. Kingston
  10. Logan Central
  11. Loganlea
  12. Marsden
  13. Park Ridge
  14. Regents Park
  15. Slacks Creek
  16. Underwood
  17. Waterford
  18. Waterford West
  19. Woodridge

Related stories:

Wing Blog: Logan, Australia: The Drone Delivery Capital of the World

Google drones deliver 1,200 hot chickens in Queensland – Australian Aviation

Keep your doors open after a disaster

Most disasters are unexpected, and many can have severe impacts on your business’s ability to continue to operate. To ensure your business stays open after a disaster, you’ll need to prepare. That way you can be sure you’re doing everything you can to protect yourself, your staff, your customers and your business.

Here are some key things you can do to ensure your business is prepared for any disaster that might come your way:

  • Check your insurance policy will adequately cover your business in the event of a disaster.
  • Have enough stock and equipment on hand to supply your customers if distribution networks are disrupted.
  • Have an emergency contact list including numbers for staff and local emergency services.
  • Prepare your staff by making and practicing an action plan of what you can do before, during and after a disaster.
  • Create a business continuity plan: logan.qld.gov.au/ disasters-and-emergencies/ prepare-business.
  • Get free business advice from the Logan Office of Economic Development: loed@logan.qld.gov.au.
  • Establish like-for-like help arrangements with local businesses you find through groups like the Think Local, Buy Logan Facebook group.
  • Protect your critical information by packing key financial, legal and ID documents in a portable waterproof container and backing up your data.

For more information on how to prepare your business, visit logan.qld.gov.au/prepareyourbusiness.

Australia’s New Entertainment Hub Announces Weekend Markets

Press release provided by Distillery Road Market

Distillery Road Market (DRM) is a compelling destination designed to celebrate our region’s love of fresh produce, dining and entertainment and is now calling for stallholder expression of interests.

Despite COVID setbacks, plans for Australia’s new entertainment hub in Eagleby is booming through phase 1 of its development, this week announcing expressions of interest for stall holders have now opened for their weekend markets, set to start from mid-2021.

The brainchild of Kenton Campbell, Founder of Zarraffa’s Coffee and CEO of Tonken Property Group, which is the project developer for DRM, the vision was to deliver people more of what they want: a localised food-centric experience.

“DRM is for all stallholders and marketers,” enthused Mr Campbell. “From the heirloom gardener, florist, farmer-grown produce, street food vendors, dessert purveyors, artisans and crafters, we want to offer a huge variety of goods and produce in one vibrant location.”

Situated halfway between the Gold Coast and Brisbane, the DRM weekend markets will encompass Friday and Saturday nights, and Saturday and Sundays with a range of activations to suit all people, inspired by some of the world’s greatest markets.

“Influenced by the likes of Chelsea Market in New York, Borough Market in London we are about attracting the region’s best growers and markers, filling intimate spaces with unique products, fresh produce and great food.

“We’re excited to now be able to start accepting vendors’ expressions of interest for our weekend markets via our website and we want you to be a part of it.”

With four market events across the weekend, there are a number of opportunities to become part of the DRM stallholder community.

From 4pm – 8pm, Friday and Saturday Nights, DRM will host Trucks and Tunes where visitors can ‘gather their gang’ and go on a street food journey.

“Nights are for devouring delicious food made onsite by our line-up of food trucks and stalls, while also enjoying a revolving roster of local music acts with the whole family,” enthused Kenton.

Saturday mornings will deliver a trove of local artisans, makers, and creators with the Winter Bazaar markets from 8am – 2pm.

“Designed for people to meander and enjoy a sensory experience, the Saturday Winter Bazaar markets will showcase live local music and a curation of handcrafted goods, arts, crafts, great coffee and fresh food.”

While Sunday mornings will play host to the region’s finest Growers Market from 6am – 11am.

“We want friends and family to fill their market basket with the freshest local produce – fine foods, meats, cheeses, baked goods and fresh flowers, or mosey on down for a laid back outdoor Sunday breakfast with great coffee, of course.”

DRM already plays home to Australian-owned Zarraffa’s Coffee, its roastery, headquarters and the bespoke Kiwanda Café – a factory concept cafe by Zarraffa’s.

With seating for up to 150 people, the DRM markets will be held weekly on the southern carpark site, offering locals drawn from Brisbane to the Gold Coast an experience closer to home, while welcoming visitors from all over to Australia’s newest food precinct and emerging entertainment hub.

With the success of the launch of Sugar Creek Smokehouse last year – a smokin’ hot Aus-Tex smokehouse drawing inspiration from the authentic Texan barbeque method you know and love – it’s proof that the concept for the markets will be welcomed.

“The community adoption of Sugar Creek Smokehouse and our food offerings has been incredible – it’s clear that people want more,” said James Osler, Venue Manager and Chef at Sugar Creek Smokehouse.

And more is exactly what Kenton Campbell and his team plan to deliver, all while taking guests on a mouth-watering journey, offering truly exceptional fresh food will excite and attract people from near and far.”

“This is just the beginning and there’s much more to come in 2022, as we open the entertainment precinct, more eateries and a brewery,” said Kenton.

DRM will be ever-changing, creating a distinct food and entertainment-centric hub for Logan and the southeast, believing DRM will be the ideal environment to capture the shift from the mass consumption of products to the mass consumption of experiences.

Trading across four days per week, from Thursday through to Sunday, DRM will transcend what is on offer in traditional retail precincts and transform people’s expectations of what is possible from a lifestyle destination.

Established in a re-purposed, reignited space, DRM has started and will continue to grow a happening, playful, and dynamic experience that puts people at the heart of their own food journey; helping them to connect in a constantly changing and immersive environment.

With over 600 car parks available at the precinct, DRM is located advantageously along the Gold Coast/ Brisbane growth corridor in the rapidly growing Logan City and is both visible and easily accessible from the M1 Motorway.

Details on how to become a market stall holder can be found at – www.drm.market

Drone delivery service Wing expands to more suburbs

Global drone delivery service Wing saw dramatic growth in the City of Logan during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing their deliveries by 500 per cent in 2020 from the previous year. With Logan residents at home last year, demand for air delivery soared with people relying on the service to deliver items they needed.

In 2021, use of the drone delivery service in Logan has continued to grow; with more than 18,000 deliveries to the community. More than 1,000 deliveries took place in just a few days during the most recent Queensland COVID-19 lockdown period, prior to the Easter long weekend, according to Jesse Suskin, Head of Policy and Community Affairs at Wing.

“Many people in Logan have contacted us asking for service, and in response to that feedback, we’ve recently expanded beyond our initial service suburbs of Crestmead, Marsden, and Berrinba. Wing is now available in more than a dozen suburbs in Logan, including drone delivery to customers in parts of Loganlea, Waterford West, Slacks Creek, Logan Central, Woodridge, Kingston, Park Ridge, Browns Plains, Heritage Park, and Regents Park. In the coming weeks we’ll also be expanding even further to include service for customers in Edens Landing, Bethania, Holmview, Waterford, and Beenleigh.”

As Wing expands, they will be improving their service offering, delivery range, and making changes to their aircraft in response to community feedback. Such changes have already taken place, with Jesse announcing new, quieter aircraft to be introduced to Logan’s skies in the coming weeks.

“Having made thousands of deliveries to customers in Logan over the last 18 months, we’ve also heard community feedback regarding noise and overflight of our drone in the neighbourhood, and we are committed to making improvements in response to their feedback. Today, we’re excited to be announcing the roll out of our new aircraft in the Logan community, a quieter drone model that almost halves the sound level experienced during overflight. We’ll be introducing the quieter drone model into service gradually in the coming weeks.”

Photo of Wing's new drone

Photo of Wing’s new drone

Wing established in Logan in 2019 as the first location in Queensland, and one of the first locations in the world to offer an air delivery service. Wing has invested in multiple sites across Logan and works with local retailers to deliver items such as cooked chickens, coffee, sushi and hardware.

To learn more about Wing, visit their website

Launchpad a win for small business in City of Logan

If you are looking to turn your small business idea into reality, the new Business Launchpad is here to help in the Logan City Council area.

The Queensland Government’s Business Launchpad takes the guesswork out of setting up your business by consolidating the licences, permits and other important regulatory information you’ll need to open your doors and start trading.

This new digital tool is available to people looking to set up and run a new food and beverage or residential construction small business in the Logan City Council area.

With the Business Launchpad you can save time and effort by easily identifying and applying for licences from all levels of government. You can:

  • create personalised guides with curated content specific to your business type, location and services
  • sign in to save progress and access your account from any device
  • pre-fill, complete, sign and submit some licensing forms online.

The Business Launchpad is being funded through the Australian Government’s Small Business Regulatory Reform Agenda

Get started at www.business.qld.gov.au/launchpad.

View the Queensland Government media release.