By Alana Mitchelson
Cheap As Chips will soon be moving in to the old Pakenham IGA site on the corner of Main Street and Drake Place, creating more than 20 local jobs.
Facey Industrial Commercial partner Matt O’Dea told the Gazette the site had received “strong” inquiries from national companies before a 10-year lease was granted to the South Australian-based discount variety store.
Cheap As Chips is due to commence operation in late March at its new Pakenham site.
The company has 38 stores throughout Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales and plans to double its 15 Victorian stores by 2020.
Cheap As Chips chief managing director Shane Radbone said the company was focused on expanding throughout regional Victoria, having most recently opened a new store in Ballarat in December.
Refurbishment works, including new flooring, is planned over the next two months.
“We’re very excited to be coming to Pakenham. We’re opening the store up a bit, so it will be a bit brighter,” Mr Radbone said.
“The Ballarat opening has been our most successful in our company’s history. I think our brand is starting to make a name for itself and we’ve found a niche market for a discount variety store with a great range of quality products and good customer service.
“We saw an opportunity in Pakenham for a very good discount store. It’s a great location with good visibility and parking options for customers.”
He said the store had about 9000 products ranging from arts and craft, to furnishings, confectionery, hardware, garden and party supplies, beauty products, home wares, stationery, toys, motoring products, pet accessories and travel goods.
Mr Radbone said products were “cheap in price, not in quality” with specials planned for the opening week in early April, exclusive to the Pakenham store.
