Kmart yesterday announced its new city store would officially open next Thursday at 8am. The Australian retail giant had previously kept the opening date under wraps, but online job listings for positions at the store had indicated it would open in "approximately June".
Former South Dunedin Community Network chairwoman Eleanor Doig said the opening was going to be "huge" for many.
"I think there’s a lot of excitement about it.
"People who could afford to went to Invercargill to do their shopping — now they don’t have to."
Now that Kmart was joining the ranks of Pak’nSave and The Warehouse, South Dunedin was becoming a hub for cheaper shopping, Ms Doig said.
She knew a lot of people had been eagerly awaiting Kmart’s arrival and it would be a relief for some families.
"It matters more for them actually to be able to get cheap clothes and stuff for their kids.
"For our families who are just doing it very hard at the moment, it’s a relief."
Mrs Doig said the store would bring people into South Dunedin and create a buzz, but parking was "major issue" — one she did not know the solution to.
