It will open in the River Crossing development on the corner of Cass and South Sts on Thursday (October 20) at 8am and will remain open until midnight.
Coupland's Bakery, which is moving from its Kermode St site, will also open its new store within the complex on the same day; St Pierre's Sushi will open on October 19.
Kmart Ashburton store manager Kim Spooner said the 3650m2 selling floor will showcase a fresh Kmart layout being rolled out nationally as part of a commitment to an improved shopping experience for customers.
‘‘From irresistibly low-priced everyday products through to brightly lit, easy-to-shop product worlds across apparel, toys and home, the new Ashburton store will include central self-serve check outs, wider aisles for easy wheelchair and pram access and bold graphics for ease of navigation,’’ she said.
‘‘It is super exciting to bring Kmart to Ashburton and hear the excitement from the community, they are all buzzing about opening day.’’
It will be the 26th Kmart to open in New Zealand.
She said the 77-strong team are all working hard to get the store ready and are proud of how the store was starting to come together.
An additional 15 more team members are still being sought.
‘‘Our Kmart team are looking forward to meeting our new community and encourage everyone to join us on the opening day as there will be (an) opening ceremony nice and early (prior to doors opening), free family fun activities in store and free gift bags for the first 100 customers who make a purchase.’’
The official opening will take place at the store entrance from 7.30am, following a welcome to the country ceremony at 6am.
Tony Gilbert, general manager of Tricroft Properties, previously said the development is exciting for the town and would broaden the retail options for residents in the wider Mid Canterbury area.
‘‘We’ve owned this site for a long time and bringing Kmart here is a fantastic outcome that has been about two years in the making,’’ he said.
‘‘We’re delighted to bring a major Australasian retailer to Ashburton, which will grow and diversify the retail options currently available to the town’s residents and visitors."
Once fully operational the River Crossing development was expected to create up to 180 new jobs in Ashburton.
It will include food and beverage operators, including Sal’s Authentic New York Pizza and Joe’s Garage.
