Dickson Coles opens for business after decade-long wait, bringing competition to Woolies

Greenway resident Lancelot Yu was among the first to step inside the supermarket, which has been in the works for more than a decade.

"It's amazing," he said of the new store on the corner of Antill and Badham streets.

Mr Yu said the shop looked well-stocked but admitted it was probably a bit far for his weekly grocery stock up.

"We're just very jealous and hoping maybe one day [Coles] will come down deep south ... with their new format," he said.

While it might not last for long, the shelves at Coles Dickson were immaculately stocked on Wednesday morning with not a single box of cereal out of place.

One customer heard the team was working late last night, even polishing the lightbulbs, in preparation for opening day.

Dickson Coles will be the brand's flagship store in Australia, making it the retailer's leading store and format.

The supermarket is hoping to lure locals with rows of Australian and international cheeses, a large seafood offering and an "open-front" bakery where sourdough and pastries are made fresh.

Dancing lions and a ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the occasion as eager shoppers prepared to roam the aisles.

In an opening speech, ACT chief minister Andrew Barr acknowledged the community had been waiting a long time for the supermarket to open.

"One of the most frequently asked questions for me over the last decade is 'when is Dickson getting its second supermarket?'" he said.

"It's taken a little while to get here but it has definitely been worth the wait."

It was 2012 when the ACT government called for expressions of interest from supermarket operators to take up the site.

Coles' development arm initially submitted plans for the block in 2014, which proposed two supermarkets, 155 dwellings and offices.

An Aldi store was originally planned as well, but the supermarket withdrew from the development some years later.

The now completed Dickson Village, developed by TP Dynamics, includes basement parking for about 450 cars and six storeys of build-to-rent apartments.

Other retail stores include a chemist, liquor shop, sushi store, hair salon and an ice cream bar.

Local residents Emmanuella Herrman and Hugo Hyde had been watching the construction works and were excited to finally step inside Coles.

"It's crazy how perfectly everything is lined up. We went and took some photos by the aisles," Ms Herrman said.

"We heard they were polishing lightbulbs last night."

"It's very neat, it's very tidy. It's really tickling my brain, in good ways," Mr Hyde said.

Both agreed it would likely become their go-to supermarket.

"If there's dragons every time, I'm here," Mr Hyde said.

Dickson resident Jonathan Walker was also among the crowd of shoppers, hoping to see "what all the fuss is about".

"It's amazing, I hope they keep redeveloping Dickson," he said of the new shopping village.

Mr Walker remained diplomatic when asked whether Coles would become his new local.

"I'll still go and do a bit of both, both Coles and Woolies," he said.

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