The Petrie Group has opened its Mitre 10 at Dubbo with a member of the family at the helm.
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Brad Petrie says he's excited to be the manager of the store purchased by the group from the Brennan family.
He is in his first week in the role at Dubbo, which has become the ninth store in the Petrie Group stable.
The son of Phillip and Annette Petrie, who together with Michael and Annette Fergus head up the family business started at Mudgee, has three years' experience at the group's Port Macquarie store.
Mr Petrie welcomed the opportunity on the eve of starting his new role at Dubbo.
"[I was] service replenishment manager at Port Macquarie, and looked after a team of 12 to 14 people," he said.
"So this is still a step up."
It's been a "go-go-go" period, and the new store manager reports he's also become one of Dubbo's newest homebuyers.
Mr Petrie said he was looking forward to becoming part of the community.
"We landed on Friday [June 26], we've settled in, got to know the neighbours, went to the pub, it's been great," he said.
"It's a lovely vibe from the town."
Since the impending sale was announced in March, the Petrie Group has highlighted its approach would be "business as usual", including retaining the Brennan's staff of about 40 people.
The new store manager says they are "going to go with what's happening because the store works".
"I'm going to spend a bit of time just getting to know all the staff here, already getting a warm feeling with everyone, the same as spending three years with the guys at Port Macquarie," Mr Petrie said.
He said Port Macquarie was a "trade-predominant store" whereas Dubbo was "predominantly retail".
"I'm looking forward to looking at some of the opportunities of stepping out into that sort of industry," Mr Petrie said.
As Brennan's Mitre 10 managing director Michael Brennan prepared to farewell the store started by his father Frank in 1976, he noted the choice of store manager.
"It's exciting for me that having been an owner-operator for so many years, that the Petrie family have put one of their own sons into the business over here," Mr Brennan said.
"...they're carrying on the family style of business, so I thought that was very heartening."
Faye Wheeler
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
I have been a journalist for more than a decade and in that time I have been keeping Daily Liberal readers up to date about issues affecting them and what's happening in their community. Throughout my career I have covered a range of rounds and most recently I have been focusing on the business round.
