And now Dunedin shoppers also have a reason to rejoice after it was announced the retail giant is coming back to the city.
The Australian-owned retailer opened its new 3650m2 outlet at the River Crossing development in Ashburton at 8am on Thursday.
The store on the corner of Cass and South Sts showcases a fresh Kmart layout that is being rolled out nationally as part of the company’s plan to improve the shopping experience.
Coupland's Bakery, which is moving from its Kermode St site, will also open its new store within the complex today; St Pierre's Sushi will open on October 19.
Kmart Ashburton store manager Kim Spooner said last week 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 Ashburton team are all working hard to get the store ready and are proud of how the store was starting to come together.
announced today it would be returning to the city with a new store in Andersons Bay Rd on the former Smiths City site, owned by Otago Land Group.
The development was still subject to final Dunedin City Council consent. Construction would start as soon as that consent was received, Otago Land Group director Martin Dippie said in a statement.
Kmart moved out of Meridian Mall early in 2020, citing concerns about required seismic strengthening.
Otago Land Group was granted consent by the city council in September that year allowing Kmart to operate at the former Smiths City site for four years while it searched for a permanent home.
Kmart property group general manager Ben Smith said in a statement the company had been working hard behind the scenes to secure the "ideal location" that would continue to serve well into the future, and one that was suitably zoned with land opportunities for a retail development of the site.
The new store would be a stand-alone location and stock the full Kmart range.
More than 100 people would be employed.
No opening date has been set.
"We are incredibly grateful and appreciative of the community’s patience whilst we have been securing all the right elements to land this new location," Mr Smith said.
"We can’t wait to welcome the Dunedin community back into our store."
Otago Land Group was keen to "get under way and return Kmart to Dunedin as soon as possible", Mr Dippie said.
A council spokesman said it had not received an application for resource consent from Kmart but it had received one for a large-scale retail activity from Otago Land Group Ltd and Home Centre Properties Ltd.
The application was progressing but the council was unable to confirm a timeline for a decision.
Home Centre Properties is also connected to the Dippie family, its directors listed as Martin Dippie’s brother, Allan, and sister-in-law, Elizabeth.
That application for land-use consent, lodged on July 27, said consent was sought for the construction of a single-building retail hall of about 4000sq m and a 940sq m storage and associated amenities facility, split over two levels.
The building design would retain and reuse a large proportion of the existing structure.
- Sally.rae@odt.co.nz & Ashburton Courier
