JB Hi-Fi Strengthens IT Offering In New Stores
The store will be located in the former Downtown Duty Free site, and will officially open on 28 February. The store’s wares will focus on DVDs, CDs, games, computers, IT equipment, cameras and navigation, and will incorporate two special areas designated to Apple and Telstra stock. JB Hi-Fi says the new store location is a lucky win for the retailer, and will take some of the pressure of the existing store underneath the Queen Victoria Building. “We are excited to have secured such a prominent location, our existing store in the CBD has been overtrading for quite some time and with Brazin closing the HMV Pit St Mall store we saw an opportunity to increase our market share as well as introduce to the city a substantial technology offering,” said JB Hi-FO CEO, Richard Uechtritz. |
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The new store will compete for foot traffic with a nearby Virgin Megastore located on George Street near Martin Place, which also stocks CDs, DVDs and games. “We have two stores in Melbourne’s CBD, both trade strongly, which bodes well for Sydney,” said Uechtritz. Coinciding with the Strand Arcade launch is the opening of a new dedicated computer and IT store in Elizabeth Street in Melbourne’s CBD, in close vicinity to the existing Elizabeth Street JB Hi-Fi outlet. According to Uechtritz, the new computer reseller doesn’t flag the beginning of a new direction for the company, and is simply a one-off model. “This is not a change in direction of the start of a new store concept. It is simply that our existing Elizabeth Street store has insufficient space to merchandise a full range of computers and accessories which has quickly become a core category for the business,” he said. JB Hi-Fi began stocking computers and equipment in mid-2006. |