Outdoor clothing and recreational goods chain Anaconda opened its new store in Gungahlin over the weekend (20 June), just in time for snow season, providing employment for 30 people across full-time and casual roles.
The Gungahlin store is the retail chain’s second ACT location, supplementing its other store in Fyshwick.
Regional manager Andrew Cornford said it was the perfect time to open the store in Gungahlin as restrictions for domestic travel were beginning to ease.
“We’ve seen an increased need for Aussies to get outdoors across our stores, off the back of recent restrictions,” he said.
“We’re a country that loves being outside and that has only strengthened of late. Canberra and the surrounding regions have some spectacular areas to explore so it made sense to bring our products and passion to the area when customers need it most.”
The store will be celebrating ‘grand opening sale week,’ until Sunday 28 June, with discounts to be found across both Canberra locations.
Mr Cornford said the company had been looking to open a second store in Canberra, with Gungahlin seeming like the perfect location.
“Gungahlin is a growing suburb north of Canberra with a new customer base who will enjoy what Anaconda has to offer,” he said.
“There are plenty of families and active individuals in the area. We recognised that there was also a clear gap within the outdoor retail space in this market.”
Both Canberra stores are also drop-off points for the Heat the Homeless appeal, with customers encouraged to donate pre-loved jackets, ski pants and fleece jumpers, still in good condition, to be distributed to a range of charitable organisations.
The initiate, in partnership with XTM Performance, will be the store’s fifth year participating.
Mr Cornford said he and the team at Gungahlin were looking forward to welcoming customers in store.
The Gungahlin store can hold 100 people in-store currently, adhering to social distancing restrictions, and extra cleaning measures are being taken to ensure health and safety for customers and staff.
