By Claire Reilly

SYDNEY, NSW: Retail giant Woolworths Limited yesterday announced that it plans to open a new Dick Smith retail shopfront in the Majura Park precinct near Canberra Airport.

The store will join a 4,800 square metre Woolworths supermarket and a Big W that are planned for the site. All together, the three stores are expected to create 300 new retail jobs.

Click here to sign up for our FREE daily newsletter

“We are really excited to bring a new Woolworths supermarket, BIG W and Dick Smith to this central location,” said Simon Berger, Woolworths community relations manager. “We believe Woolworths can help make Majura Park a destination shopping hub for residents of Canberra, Queanbeyan and surrounding areas.”

The Dick Smith store is set to offer customers a “wide range of the latest technology and big brands at competitive prices, with products ranging from TVs, Computing, gaming, MP3 and audio, navigation, cameras and phones.”

“Our Techxperts offer knowledgeable service and are ready to ensure customers get the best deal.”

Similarly, beyond its regular offerings in the clothing, apparel, toys and beauty products departments, the new Big W store will also showcase a “huge selection of brands in home entertainment, appliances [and] electronics” and will be “complemented with new innovations like a digital photo centre”.

The announcement by Woolworths Limited comes less than a month before American retail giant Costco is due to open the doors at its Canberra megastore, also at the Majura Park site.

But Berger remains unworried. “We know we’re setting up right next to a large American retailer in Costco,” he said, “but we are backing ourselves to deliver the quality, range, service and value in order to earn our share of customers.”

Dick Smith, Big W and Woolworths are scheduled to open at Canberra’s Majura Park before Easter 2012.

For all the news on Costco's expansion, make sure you read the July issue of Appliance Retailer magazine, available next week.