Kmart opens doors on newest store in St Marys • The Western ...

Kmart St Marys has officially opened.

The new store, located within St Marys Village Shopping Centre, is Kmart’s 18th store in western Sydney, and is set to be one of its most popular, alongside Penrith.

Despite its relative proximity to other Kmart stores, Store Manager Jonathan Guiao said that the new St Marys location will be an extremely significant addition for the community.

“[The new store] will mean such a huge deal for the customers here in this community,” he said.

“Given the certain circumstances that we have in the world with [the high cost-of -living], it’s great to have a store right in between Penrith and Mount Druitt, so the locals can shop here instead.”

John Gualtieri, Chief Executive Officer for Kmart Australia and New Zealand, agreed with the sentiment, noting the high proportion of younger, lower-income families in the area.

“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,” he 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.”

Kmart St Marys was officially opened by Gualtieri and Deputy Premier Prue Car this morning.

Car welcomed the opening of the store, as well as the hundreds of new employment opportunities.

“Having the suburb’s first Kmart store opening today is a much-needed addition to the town centre,” she said.

“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.”

The store is also Kmart’s latest Deadly Store, designed to increase cultural awareness and provide a vehicle for delivering dedicated Indigenous employment outcomes, given the high representation of First Nations people in the area.

The store also holds a collection designed by Kyralee Shields – a local Indigenous artist.

With festivities set to continue over the weekend, Guiao said he’s hoping to see plenty of locals come out to see the new space for themselves.

“We’re anticipating huge crowds, especially with the centre not having retail like this for three years,” he said.

“The local buzz right now is booming, so we can’t wait!”