A friend on Thursday afternoon sent me a screenshot of a post on the Kambah Community Noticeboard that stopped me in my tracks.

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The post read: "I was just talking to a worker at Coles Wanniassa and they were saying it looks like it may close down as one of the slowest Coles in Canberra. That would be sad!!"

Said with a Ted-Bullpit-Not-The-Kingswood kind of flourish, of course.

I wasn't alone. There were soon more than 100 comments on the post, most people saying how much they loved the Coles at Wanniassa and didn't want it to close. And that it was hardly an under-used supermarket.

Before we go any further, Coles says the rumour is not true.

On Friday, Coles regional manager John Appleby told us:

"There is no truth to this rumour. Coles Wanniassa remains open and our team looks forward to continuing to serve the community.

"We are grateful for the support of our Wanniassa customers and thank our team members for the great service they provide every day."

Let's hope that remains true.

Most people in Canberra love their local shops.

Outsiders talk about Canberra lacking a soul. Have to admit, you don't find it much in Civic these days. But you do find it at the local shops. It's where you see the same faces, bump into people you know, feel part of something. And the reason local shops exist, more often than not, is that they are anchored by a well-functioning, popular supermarket.

Coles is........

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