Recent information shared with our Campaign has confirmed that there indeed is a rift between James Currie and the corporation he has devoted his working life to. Numerous internal sources have now confirmed that for many years James has been attempting to secure another store only to watch them go to other franchisees. It appears that the doomed ‘Tecoma Franchise’ has been forced upon him as part of a deal to secure the ‘Wantirna Franchise’.
The ‘Tecoma Franchise’ is best described as the ‘Poison Chalice’ of all franchises. Other potential franchisees have recognised this ‘Poison Chalice’ for what it is and have wisely chosen to pass the cup on. Sadly, desperate to expand after years of neglect from the McDonalds Corporation, James Currie has elected to grasp this ‘Chalice of Doom’.
We’re wondering if he has considered the full extent of how this poison will affect his reputation and imagined empire.
Already he is experiencing a little taste of what residents in the hills have to offer:
Daily protests at his Boronia store are rapidly gaining support and becoming louder every day. These actions have no projected end date and will be duplicated in Tecoma if required. A newly formed group ‘Tecoma Mums against Maccas’ (T-MAM) have already declared their commitment to protesting at Tecoma at both before and after school pick-ups to continue to educate the young minds in our community. Way to go ladies and thankyou for your support.
The Wantirna outlet is earmarked for some ‘Tecoma Love’ via a drive through action tomorrow night (Saturday 4th May). This store will be gaining more focus over the coming weeks with other actions currently under development, stay tuned for further information. Pledges received by residents in the Hills have given us a very clear indication that this will be a common protest action in Tecoma.
Boycotts already in place are being expanded to include all James Currie’s outlets. Fact sheets being distributed at these outlets are updating residents in our neighbouring suburbs. They too are joining the ‘Boycott Pledge’.
And this is just the beginning!!!
If James Currie thinks that we will quietly disperse if bulldozers roll into town he is in for one hell of a shock. The SMS alert system is gaining phone numbers by the hour and will unleash what will be the biggest PR disaster in McDonalds Australia’s history. The name that will be forever attached to this monumental disaster – ‘James Currie’. Anyone interested in being added to this alert should send their phone number to nomaccasinthehills@gmail.com.
We all know that James Currie has seen firsthand the pledges, the signatures, the videos, the photos, the petitions, the survey, etc. and still he has not responded to the community he declared he was “Looking forward to working with”.
By offering himself up as the ‘McDonalds Tecoma franchisee’ James Currie is exposing ALL his franchises to ongoing protest actions.
Howard Armitage must be finding it difficult to hide the relief he is feeling since disassociating himself with this ‘inappropriate development’. No doubt he is also has his business managers plotting forward projections of increased profits as he picks up the trade that will now avoid Wantirna and Boronia in support of the people of Tecoma.
Protests targetting James Currie’s stores
Other News: McDonalds erects temporary fences around the old Hazelvale Dairy – 2nd May
On May 2nd, the day after the owners of Saffron Cottage handed in the keys to the building at the end of their lease, McDonald’s sent workers to the site to board up the old dairy that Hippie Haven and Saffron Cottage operated from. Fences were erected around the buildings. McDonald’s are preparing to bulldoze these buildings, destroying a much loved part of Tecoma’s history and replacing it with their ugly, unwanted 24 hour drive through monstrosity.This makes it even more important to show James Currie and McDonalds, te, that should they go ahead and build we will not let their job be easy.
