And maybe that’s what it would take from the Bathurst community to get electronics giant JB Hi Fi to open a store in town.

JB Hi-Fi is Australia’s largest home entertainment retailer – famous for its low prices, big brands and huge range.

The store has almost a cult following among younger shoppers, in particular, and every new store opening is a major event.

Dubbo will be the next city to join the JB Hi Fi stable with a store due to open there next week. And we believe Bathurst should also be considered.

The local retail sector took a hit this week with the announcement that Woolworths was abandoning its foray into the competitive hardware market and would be closing all its Masters stores, including the Kelso warehouse.

That was a blow to the do-it-yourself crowd that spent their weekends comparing prices between Bunnings and Masters, and an even bigger blow to the staff who will be out of work just weeks before Christmas.

So the arrival of a new retailing giant would be a welcome fillip for local jobs and the local economy – and JB Hi Fi would fit the bill perfectly.

Even better, we have a ready-made home for the store.

The collapse of Dick Smith Electronics has left a gaping void in the Bathurst City City in one of its most important shops.

The large store has street frontage onto Howick Street and is well-positioned to pick up passing traffic.

Do we need to offer more?

Over the past decade, Bathurst has continually been one of the fastest growing cities in regional NSW and we boast a diversified local economy that is almost slump-proof.

And Bathurst is home to a progressive council with a track record of working with big business to bring newcomers to the city.

Council staff can provide JB Hi Fi with all the economic data they could ever want to prove this is a market waiting to be tapped.

There are already electronics stores in town but, as always, it’s a case of the more the merrier for consumers who can only benefit from increased competition.

And so that’s our shameless sales pitch to JB Hi Fi – we only hope they see it.

This could be the start of a beautiful relationship.