The Aussies have landed

With little fanfare Australian owned mega store of music JB-Hi Fi opened its first New Zealand store in May earlier this year. Of the two occasions that I’ve set foot in the modest sized store near Burger King on Queen St, there has been a fair bit of activity inside. And why is this store proving popular despite little discernable advertising that such a new overseas chain would usually herald? The answer is simple; crates of discounted CDs, DVDs and games, flat screen TVs and music loud enough to spill onto the street.

Apparently the bargaining power of Australia’s largest music store brings with low prices, and that can’t be denied. At a time when the market for CDs is supposedly in decline, it seems an odd time to enter this new market. Yet perhaps this new store is simply a morphing that the CD store as we know it is going through. JB-Hi Fi has the concrete floors and range of Real Groovy yet the polished appearance of Sounds or ECM. Included are the annoying intercom interruptions that cut off the music to request whomever to whichever service desk.

JB-Hi Fi seems to be aiming decidedly at the middle of the road. Its not as far up Queen St. as Real Groovy and doesn’t play alternative music over the speakers that often scares off the musically insecure or unadventurous. Though I am and always will be a Real Groovy fan, offering more music at lower prices can only be a positive, and a place that has Led Zeppelin posters on their walls can’t be all that bad.