By Chris Nicholls

RENMARK, SA: BSR Group has opened a new store in Renmark, South Australia, with the return to the fold of their former Riverland franchisee, Jim Georgantas.

The store has yet to re-brand itself from its previous “Riverland Electronics” name or re-paint the exterior, due to Christmas period difficulties in securing painters, said Georgantas, but will officially re-open “sometime” in January next year.

Georgantas said he had originally been with the Betta Group five years ago but had disaffiliated himself after sensing the group was in trouble.

“I just had a gut feeling because all our money we had allocated wasn’t going to where it should have been,” he said.

“But now with a new board and new everything, I thought I’d give them another go, because I’m hearing positive things.”

Georgantas said he also hoped to double the shop’s floor space next year by purchasing part of an “underutilised” government organisation building, part of which is currently occupied by the Salvation Army.

He said he would know the outcome sometime in January next year.

The store’s re-branding was also assisted by the recent closure of the store’s main opposition, a store called Jack Webber Electrical – a BSR affiliated store without Betta Electrical signage.

However, he said he rued missing out on the group’s recent catalogues, especially as his store’s sales area had gone from 30 to 130 kilometre radius.