Kmart Australia has strengthened its presence in Sydney’s west, opening its latest store in St Marys, taking its national footprint to over 320 stores while boosting local jobs by almost 200 new roles.
Kmart invited the local community to join the opening day celebrations with ceremonial speeches, cutting of the ribbon, free family entertainment, as well as goodie bags for the first 100 customers and more.
Joining Kmart Australia and New Zealand CEO, John Gualtieri for the store opening was Deputy Premier of NSW and Minister for Western Sydney, Prue Car, alongside local councillor, Todd Carney.
The St Marys store takes Kmart’s footprint in Sydney’s west to a total of 18 stores, with two of the retailer’s most popular stores nationally situated in the catchment.
With 164,000 residents in the catchment, there’s a high proportion of younger lower-income families earning a lower-than-average household income of $76,800 compared with Sydney’s average of $113,800.
“Our entire proposition for Kmart is to focus on making everyday living affordable for Australians through access to great quality products that they can afford. We know that with the cost-of-living crisis, this commitment has never been more important for our customers,” Gualtieri said.
“For many of our customers, every dollar saved when they shop with us means an extra dollar on mortgage or towards bills. It’s not just the jobs that we create that are important when we open a store, it’s also the access we are providing to great quality products at the lowest prices to make life that little bit easier that matters.”
The St Marys town centre is set to get a major boost with a new metro train line under construction that will connect the town to the upcoming western Sydney Airport, expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
Deputy Premier Car welcomed the opening of the store and new employment opportunities.
“Having the suburb’s first Kmart store opening today is a much-needed addition to the town centre. Not only is this great for local families, but the opening of this store will bring in almost 200 new jobs to the area. A majority of the store’s staff are under 21 years old, and I am pleased that our young people are now able to kick off their work experience right here in our community,” she said.
The St Marys store will be the latest Deadly Store for Kmart – a network of over 100 stores that are situated in areas with high representation of First Nations peoples and are designated stores designed to not only increase cultural awareness and connection to better serve customers, but provide a vehicle for delivering dedicated Indigenous employment impact and outcomes.