Hands-free shopping coming to new mall
“Hands-free” shopping, rooftop outdoor dining, 2770 carparks and an Uber pick-up area are features planned at the new $790 million Westfield Newmarket when it opens late next year.
Greg Miles, chief operating officer of property owner Scentre Group, gave more details of the country’s largest new retail centre yesterday. The centre is designed to bring Auckland its first David Jones department store and have more than 200 new shops.
“Hands-free shopping is where you have multiple parcels collected by a concierge and placed in your car for you when you’re ready to leave,” Miles said.
Westfield offers that service in Australia, and Miles said it cost about A$10 ($10.70). Westfield Bondi Junction invites shoppers to register at a valet to get a hands-free shopping pass. The shopper quotes the pass to the retailer and a customer service rep delivers purchases from the shop to the car.
Rooftop dining will be on offer at the former Farmers site at 309 Broadway, between Clovernook Rd, Gillies Ave, Broadway and Mortimer Pass, Muir said.
“The roof of 309 [Broadway] will be the food and restaurant zone,” he said.
Many of these outlets will be near the entrance to the new Event Cinema multiplex, providing an entertainment offering above the retail area. The exact number of cinemas and seats is yet to be announced.
More than 30 restaurants, bars and dining outlets are planned “and we are in discussions with some of Auckland’s best,” Miles said.
“David Jones will be on the 277 site on the ground and first floor. Countdown will be on level three, which is going to be a food emporium, with dining and take-home options. David Jones is going to be at the rear of the site,” he said, indicating the Gillies Ave area.
Shoppers entering off Broadway will walk past about 20 specialty stores before they enter David Jones, which had leased
8000sq m, he said. That is just under 1ha of indoor floor space.
“309 will be Farmers on two levels,” Miles said. Farmers has leased 10,000sq m from Scentre.
“There will be some technology retailers above them. The roof of 277 will be carparking and a gym.”
The existing 277 building would be retained but stripped out and refitted. Piledriving rigs are already working on the
309 Broadway site and excavations are advanced for two levels of basement carparking.
Justin Krzywokulski, Scentre development and strategic asset manager, said the redeveloped property would have 2700 carparks.
That is a huge increase on the approximately 1200 carparks on both sites previously.
Scentre staff have designed the project and an in-house construction team will build it. Carparking entrances are expected to be developed to enter the 309 Broadway site off Mortimer Pass. Exits will be on Clovernook Rd to ease congestion on Mortimer Pass.