Shock closure of Port Adelaide Kmart store

A western suburbs Kmart store is set to close its doors in a shock decision, potentially leaving casual workers and local shoppers in the lurch.

One of the western suburbs’ most popular Kmart stores is set to close its doors in a shock decision by parent company Wesfarmers, with 100 employees set to be impacted.

Kmart Port Adelaide, inside Port Adelaide Plaza shopping centre, will close “in coming months”, with permanent team members to be redeployed across other SA locations.

A Kmart Australia spokesperson confirmed the store’s closure on Wednesday.

The spokesperson said the company had made the decision to close the store after a regular review that determined the community could be supported by nearby stores at West Lakes and Churchill Rd.

The Kmart store in the Port Adelaide Plaza shopping centre will close its doors in coming months. Picture: Precision Group

“We want to thank the Port Adelaide community for their support over many years,” they said.

“ We will continue to support the community from our nearby West Lakes and Churchill stores and through our online store.

“Our focus is on supporting our Port Adelaide team, with all permanent team members being offered like-for-like roles at nearby Kmart stores and we are hopeful that many of the remaining non-permanent team members will be able to be redeployed in other Kmart stores and other Wesfarmers businesses.”

A final date of trade has not yet been set for the store.

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Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association spokesperson Jordan Mumford said the decision was “disappointing”, with more than 100 workers were expected to be impacted by the closure.

“While store closures always have an impact on workers and the local community, Kmart has committed to seeking redeployment for all permanent team members and for casual team members where opportunities for employment exist in nearby stores,” he said.

Kmart shoppers Savarnna Hull and Michelle Lamb are disappointed about the closure. Picture: Brett Hartwig

“We will work with Kmart to seek ongoing employment opportunities for affected employees and minimise job losses.”

Mr Mumford said the SDA had been on-site to provide support for impacted workers.

18-year-old local Michelle Lamb, who frequents the store, said she feels “a bit annoyed and sad” about the closure.

“It’s been in Port Adelaide for so long, I definitely didn’t expect Kmart to close down,” she said.

“The best thing about having Kmart in the port would be how close it is to home and how easy it is to access it.

“Knowing that it is going to be closing is a real shame.”

Savarnna Hull said she feels like the closure is “unexpected and it will be like a part of home is missing”.

“If you forgot something you could pop down to our local Kmart.”