Source: Kmart. 1969. "Kmart Opening Advertisement". The Sun Herald, October 19: 28.
The original building is still standing and pulling in the crowds.
 Photo was taken by the Author. |
Wednesday, 22 October 2014
1969: Arrival of Kmart in Sydney
Normally, we would have an entry on Monday, but for this week have decided to post on Wednesday as today is 45 years to the day since Kmart began operations in Sydney with their first store at Blacktown. The opening came just six months after their first store was opened at Burwood East in Melbourne. Unlike today, you could also do your grocery shopping there.
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my husband moved to blacktown as an 8 year old in 1969, and the kmart site was just a really big hole at that stage. His father thought it may be going to be a reservoir!
ReplyDeleteIt looks similar to the original format to Kmart in the Newcastle suburb of Waratah which opened around 1970, shortly after the Blacktown store. In Waratah the K-mart food section became a Coles supermarket.
ReplyDeleteThe Kmart in Burwood (VIC) has a store number K1001 (which obviously signifies that it is the first opened store), Blacktown was numbered K1002 (as previously mentioned in the post was opened just after Burwood (VIC)) Kmart then began sequentially numbering stores as they were opened. Kmart Waratah in Newcastle was numbered K1006 which ties into the fact that these three stores were designed and built around the same era. These stores are what Kmart refers to as "Freestanding Stores" meaning they are not within an existing shopping centre or mall. Most of these buildings are owned by Kmart as they were purchased decades ago. It is interesting to note that during the 80's and 90's Kmart moved away from freestanding stores and moved more towards leases within existing shopping centre, presumably inline with retail trends. However due to high lease costs, and restrictive leases Kmart is somewhat looking at moving back towards the idea of freestanding stores. This is most noticeable in the closure or downsize of many stores located within Westfields. One can only presume that this is in relation to the high leases charged.
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