Kmart is coming to Blenheim, Westwood property developer confirms
Wednesday, 9 August 2017
A lie told a thousand times becomes the truth.
And after years of rumours, Blenheim bargain hunters have finally got the truth they have been waiting for - retail giant Kmart is coming to town.
The company is to lease a new building at the Westwood development, on the outskirts of Blenheim, which is expected to open at the end of next year.
Enthusiasm for Kmart runs deep in Marlborough, with frequent posts on social media from people who make the two-hour drive to the nearest outlet, in Richmond.
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Outer Limits director Phil Robinson, who has frequently put down rumours in the past, confirmed his company applied for resource consent for the store last month.
Robinson had a written agreement with Kmart to lease the building, he said.
'We've been working on it for a long time but there was never anything in writing, so I couldn't confirm or deny it.'
More than 500 people are signed up to a page 'Bring KMART to Blenheim'.
A post on the Facebook page summed up the reaction to the news: 'WE DID IT!!!!!! KMART IS COMING TO BLENHEIM!!!!!!!!!!!'
The page administrator Linda van Kuyk said in April that the Westwood site seemed like the most suitable location for a Kmart in Blenheim.
'But people say stuff all the time, so until we actually see that Kmart sign on the building it probably won't seem real,' she said at the time.
She struggled to explain just why people loved the store so much, but said personally she loved the range of goods and the affordable prices.
'I can't explain it, you just get sucked into the Kmart vortex.'
Kmart has been approached for comment.