Here in the US there is a chain of high quality sporting goods stores called REI - they carry bicycles, and one of the bikes that they offer under their own 'house' brand would probably fit your needs nicely: it's called the Novara Fusion.

Dynamo hub, disc brakes, fenders, rack, internally geared hub, and under $1000 (barely). They have a store near Philadelphia, so you could go there and try one out. They also have a very good warranty on their bikes. A friend who rides one of their bikes recently had an issue with a broken spoke on a wheel, and they replaced the wheel for him, with no wait at the shop.