Unique mall set to open its doors
Retail
Commercial Bay, the $700 million shopping centre in downtown Auckland, will open on June 11 after an eightmonth delay.
The centre was scheduled to open on March 28, just days after New Zealand moved into the level 4 lockdown.
The Precinct Properties development includes a 39,000square-metre office tower and
18,000sqm of retail space. Precinct chief executive Scott Pritchard said the company was excited to see Commercial Bay open after five years of development.
‘‘This is an enormous project and there have literally been hundreds and hundreds of people that have been working on it,’’ Pritchard said.
‘‘When you are heading to a goal like opening, you become very focused on it. But we could see at the same time that
Covid-19 was emerging as a real risk.’’
In the last weeks before lockdown, the company was trying to get as much done as possible.
‘‘For a while there we still hoped we would be able to open but once we realised we were heading into lockdown, we had to shift gears.’’
Pritchard said the finishing touches after the lockdown has required a lot of work, particularly with new safety measures to ensure social distancing.
That meant that while the company was just a week away from opening before the coronavirus outbreak, it took longer to get to the opening date after restrictions began to be lifted, he said.
Opening events were still being finalised but would comply with social distancing rules, Pritchard said.
Commercial Bay’s shopping precinct has three levels of retail with laneways and open spaces.
Ryan Sharma, managing director of Bluebells Cakery, said he would finally open the company’s flagship store in the centre.
‘‘We are very excited to finally be getting underway at Commercial Bay and doing our bit to breathe life and yummy treats back in to the
CBD,’’ Sharma said. ‘‘The precinct is looking amazing and will be a real focal point for locals, office workers and local tourists.’’
Sharma and partner Karla Goodwin had to mothball their business during the Covid-19 crisis, which was particularly painful after the six-figure fitout for the new store, he said.
‘‘The opening is better late than never, we are just relieved we are still standing after a tough couple of months,’’ he said.
Commercial Bay represented another evolution for retail, First Retail chief executive Chris Wilkinson said.
‘‘The format is quite different, there is an open air element to the development, with the intimacy of small laneways,’’ he said.
The more sophisticated environment was in keeping with shoppers in the area.
Despite a wariness over the coronavirus, he expected Commercial Bay to do well.
‘‘Good-quality malls will continue to prosper, but the older malls, those that haven’t evolved over the last decade, will struggle as spending tightens and people’s priorities change.’’
Commercial Bay faced a number of delays during its construction.
The retail precinct was originally due to open last September but this was moved to March due to delays by contractor Fletcher Construction to complete the buildings.
The delay cost Fletcher Construction $52m in liquidated damages.
Pritchard expected the delays related to Covid-19 will have cost Precinct Properties, but he would not provide a figure.