DUBBO'S two highest civic leaders have welcomed news of JB Hi-Fi's plans to move into the city's retail market, while at the same time lamenting the loss of Bernardi's Supa IGA supermarket.
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Mayor Mathew Dickerson and his deputy Ben Shields agreed the closure of the supermarket would be a loss for the city, but said the arrival of the electronics retailer at a time when the Dick Smith store in Macquarie Street was in the process of shutting down would fill a gap in the city's market.
"It's certainly a shame to lose Bernardi's as I have been impressed with what they have been doing for the past three years and have shopped there myself," Cr Dickerson said.
"Hearing that they were to close was certainly a shock for me but as one door closes, another opens and JB Hi-Fi is something the people of Dubbo have been calling for a long time now.
"We've worked with JB over a number of years, and looked at a number of locations with them but they have a specific requirement for floorplan and size of premises and the timing of it worked out that the Bernardi's site at the mall was suitable for them.
"Nobody likes to see a business close, and we certainly thank Bernardi's for their presence in Dubbo, but there will still be seven supermarkets in Dubbo and two other IGAs in south and west."
Cr Shields, who has been campaigning for JB Hi-Fi to come to the city for about six years, also met the news with optimism.
"It's about time," he said.
"It's something Dubbo desperately needs. Dubbo has 130,000 people shop here and if we don't have the best shops available people will go elsewhere, like Orange or Tamworth.
"The electronics market is a big one, and having JB Hi-Fi will be great for the people who don't live in our neighbourhoods but travel to do their shopping.
"It's sad we're losing Bernardi's but it was always going to be hard for them to compete with one of the biggest-trading Woolworths stores around.
"In saying that though the staff at Bernardi's were great with customer service and I think any retail store would be benefiting if they were to employ them when the supermarket closes."
Cr Shields' push, as well as including Aldi and JB Hi-Fi, has also included K-Mart and he believes now is the time for the brand's owners Wesfarmers to come to the party and look at Dubbo.
"The Dubbo Big W store is the third-highest retailing Big W store in Australia but Wesfarmers don't seem to think its main competition should come to the city," he said.
"The largest Aldi store is here as well. I think it's a corporate embarrassment that Big W's major competitor isn't here when the figures suggest the market is huge."
