‘Kmart welcome’: business leaders upbeat on Target Geraldton rebranding

Business and civic leaders have welcomed news Target Geraldton will be rebranded as a Kmart next year, saying it will not negatively impact on small retail operators. Geraldton Downtown Traders chairman Graham Still said he believed the opposite — that it could have a positive effect for struggling small businesses. “Kmart will do well here because Target has lost its appeal among shoppers and discount stores thrive in Geraldton,” he said. “Because Kmart offers a cheaper product line than Target ... I think will leave more space in the market for people to open niche businesses.” Mid West Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Joanne Fabling said probable factors behind the move were disappointing Target revenue and people in the city wanting a Kmart for a long time. “Our Target already sells a lot of Kmart products, particularly in the home section,” she said. “So I think it’s really just a facelift, because Target is struggling nationally and not much will actually change. “We’ve had an economic downturn recently, so it’s nice to see Northgate being revitalised to remain a big part of the Geraldton retail community.” City of Greater Geraldton Mayor Shane Van Styn anticipated there would be no net effect on small businesses because it was a rebranding of an existing store. “Target stores all over Australia are closing and we could have been left with no department store,” Mr Van Styn said. “We’re thankful that Wesfarmers is remaining committed to Geraldton.” Mr Van Styn joked with councillors at a recent council agenda forum meeting that they could now all finish work, with the arrival of the retail chain. “Now that Kmart has been announced, I’d like to think that we could resign as council. All our work is now done,” he quipped.