Kmart’s plans in Napier get bigger
Work hasn’t even started on Napier’s Kmart but already the proposed development has expanded.
Consent was granted to build a 5073 square-metre building on Prebensen Drive, outside the city centre, by Napier City Council last year. But a year on, and without work having started, the developer, Wallace Development, has upgraded its resource consent application.
It is now applying for a 5600sqm building, and wants to increase the number of car parks originally sought, from 131 to 200. The application is on hold with the council seeking more information around traffic generation modelling and the extra parking.
The development is in the city’s Large Format Retail zone, in which there cannot be more than one car park per 40sqm. The latest application would exceed that by 60 car parks.
The total site covers some 19,000sqm between Prebensen Drive and Ford Rd, adjacent to the Mitre 10 Mega store.
It is unclear when the development might get under way. Kmart was contacted for comment via Wallace Developments.
A property report by local valuer Turley & Co said the effects for Napier CBD retail of the planned Kmart were ‘‘hard to judge’’.
‘‘The development, if it occurs, could be net positive for Napier as a further retail destination. Kmart Hastings’ performance and pedestrian numbers could be affected by a Napier Kmart,’’ the report said.
Kmart has some 200 stores across Australia and New Zealand.
Queenstown’s new Kmart will be opening in October and Invercargill and Blenheim are expected to get Kmarts next year.
When Rotorua’s Kmart opened in March, Retail NZ spokesman Greg Harford said the appearance of a Kmart in an area could draw people in, boosting the bottom lines of other businesses in the area.
But industry consultant Chris Wilkinson, managing director of First Retail Group, said it could also draw them away.
Wilkinson said if Kmart opened outside a town’s city centre, it would drive shoppers away from local retailers’.
Last year, Kmart’s sales in Australasia totalled A$5.57 billion (NZ$6b).