JB HiFi have just announced that they will be relocating to Woden Plaza (aka Westfield Woden) on Monday week Nov 19. This is the latest business to move from Phillip Marketplace – Blockbuster Video moved to Curtin in June while High Country Meats moved to the Paul’s Centre last year. The loss of JB HiFi is a huge loss as there is little doubt that it was the main attraction at the site drawing people in where they would then patronise other businesses as well.
With JB HiFi gone, the only remaining marquee business with pulling power will be The Warehouse, and when you consider the same business operates out of Cooleman Court under the name Go Lo – as well as there being a similar business in Woden Plaza in the form of Home Base – then that is hardly something that will have the customers rolling in.
There is little doubt that JB HiFi has been driven out by the increasing hoon activity in and around Phillip Marketplace. The fact that police were constantly being called to the centre made the public uneasy and was hardly conducive to business.
The new JB HiFi store is in Palm Court at Woden Plaza where the old Priceline used to be. All indications are that it will be very similar to the other JB stores in Canberra Centre and Westfield Belconnen.