And it’s an announcement that looks to be great news not for only for the region’s consumers but also local jobseekers.

The electronics giant has started advertising for a raft of positions for its new store in the Bathurst City Centre where it will fill the void left by the collapse of Dick Smith Electronics last year.

Apart from the store manager role, JB is also looking for a sales and media manager, sales co-ordinator, media co-ordinators, general salespeople, stock inventory storepeople and an office administrator.

We may already be travelling better than other rural and regional centres across the country, but Bathurst will still welcome every new job we can get. JB’s arrival in town has been much-anticipated and strongly supported over the past year or so.

The Western Advocate has run a number of stories speculating about the possibility of JB Hi-Fi opening here and each has prompted an enthusiastic response on our social media channels.

The store targets a younger demographic and its distinctive down-market advertising style creates a sense of value-for-money.

Don’t be fooled, though – JB Hi-Fi is no two-bit operator and has become one of the real success stories of a constantly changing Australian retailing landscape.

In February JB Hi-Fi announced a 23.6 boost in sales and a 31.7 per cent jump in underlying profit during a period where it saw off two of its major competitors - The Good Guys, which it acquired, and Dick Smith, which was finally wound up after being placed in administration.

But just to prove you can never rest on your laurels, those positive headlines in February became cautionary tales in May when analysts CITI published a note claiming the imminent arrival of Amazon in the Australian market could wipe more than 30 per cent off the long-term earnings of established retailers such as JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman.

But that’s all in future – for now, let’s celebrate the fact that a retailing giant has taken a close look at the Bathurst economy and decided it wants to be part of it.

And while we might never know just how big a role people power played in bringing them here, we hope local consumers let their dollars do the talking when the doors finally open.