Hundreds of people had their first look through the new JB Hi-Fi Home Store at Orana Mall in the first hours it was open on Thursday morning.
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Former Dubbo mayor Mathew Dickerson was joined by JB Hi-Fi staff to cut the ribbon before the eager crowd was able to get their first look at the new store.
There has been plenty of excitement around the arrival of the retailer in Dubbo but few people were keener than Jason Lowe.
Jason arrived almost two hours before doors opened at 8.45am on Thursday. He arrived at Orana Mall at 6.50am to ensure he didn’t miss a thing.
“I’ve been waiting two years for JB Hi-Fi to come to Dubbo,” he said.
“They have a great range of movies. I first went into JB Hi-Fi in Port Macquarie and found so many good things.
“Since then I have been ordering from them online.”
JB Hi-Fi acting area manager Dana Sindjelic said the company was overwhelmed by the interest that Dubbo had shown and said a lot of hard work had gone into ensuring the store was ready for the grand opening.
JB Hi-Fi Dubbo has hired 47 staff to work in the store and Ms Sindjelic said all of them were Dubbo locals.
“I am so impressed with the locals we have hired to be part of JB Hi-Fi. They have stepped up.
“It’s nerve-wracking to do something like this in a regional area where you can’t call up the store down the road and ask for assistance but everyone has embraced the challenge.”
Ms Sindjelic said some staff had gone to the opening despite not being rostered until later in the day.
Dubbo Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Matt Wright welcomed the arrival of another high profile national retailer in the city.
He said the fact Dubbo was chosen to be the first regional city to get the Home outlet was a display of confidence and also welcomed the employment boost.
“There are over 40 staff employed in the new store and I believe 25 of those are full-time so the concern we had over the loss of Bernardi’s and the loss of staff have been partially alleviated,” he said. “Some of the staff from Bernardi’s have also been re-employed which is a great outcome.”