New retail precinct to open

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Wanganui's newest retail portal centre will open for business a week from today.

Both Briscoes Homeware and Rebel Sports will open the doors to their new stores on the corner of Victoria Ave and Dublin St on the same day.

A spokesperson for the Briscoes Group, which operates both outlets, said the first day's trading would feature the "Briscoes lady", the woman who has become the marketing face of the homeware store.

In January Rod Duke, group managing director and deputy-chairman of Briscoes Group, confirmed the new stores and said the corner site - once home to Wanganui Toyota - was the ideal site for his company.

Both stores will be linked by a common storage and administration section and followed a pattern already seen with the group in Palmerston North with a Rebel Sports fronting Rangitikei St and Briscoes fronting Cuba St.

The move was happening because leases on the existing stores - Briscoes in St Hill St and Rebel Sport on the St Hill St-Ridgway St corner - were up for renewal.

Mr Duke said a criticism with both their Wanganui stores had been around parking but the new property overcame that.

Briscoes Group will be the tenant in the complex, being built by an unnamed local developer.

Mr Duke said they were excited with the development and expected a marked impact on turnover. With that in mind, they were anticipating having to take on more staff in both stores, he said.