West Melbourne businesses win council funding

Two West Melbourne businesses have received a boost thanks to the City of Melbourne’s Small Business Grants Program, which aims to support new ventures and boost existing businesses in the city.

Supaw Pet Bakery and Savic Motorcycles received funding as part of the scheme, which will provide $520,000 across 24 small businesses.

Dennis Savic, the CEO of Savic Motorcycles, a company that designs and manufactures high-performance electric motorcycles, expressed his gratitude for the council’s support.

“This grant has helped us in setting up our West Melbourne showroom that displays the groundbreaking vehicles and technologies that are developed locally, and soon to be enjoyed by our customers, nationally,” Savic said.

Meanwhile, Supaw pet bakery plans to use the funding to expand its capacity, according to director of business Leo Leng.

“Thanks to this grant, our pet bakery specialising in unique birthday cakes can now expand its capacity. This means more joy for Melbourne’s pets and their owners,” Leng said.

The council’s business and global opportunities portfolio lead Cr Kevin Louey said the program hoped to make Melbourne a great place to do business.

“More than a quarter of recipients will be turning vacant shopfronts into bustling places of business – that means more foot traffic and dollars spent,” Cr Louey said.

Deputy Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece said that the program would create 110 new jobs within the City of Melbourne, with new businesses accounting for around half of the recipients.