Construction has begun on AMP Capital-owned Bayfair Shopping Centre’s $115 million development in the Bay of Plenty.
The development will present a new-look retail offer with 50 specialty stores, including a strong fashion mix new to the region, an alfresco dining precinct, the Bay of Plenty’s largest cinema complex with seven screens and over 1,300 seats, and a new Countdown supermarket.
The centre’s overall footprint is expected to expand by 9,000 square metres to a total of 42,000 sqm.
“Bayfair serves an important role in the wider community as a major shopping destination in the region, which is experiencing significant economic and population growth and huge seasonal surges in tourism,” said Bayfair centre manager Steve Ellingford.
“As the region grows, we want to grow with it, and the development is part of future-proofing for that growth.”
With entertainment seen as being a key component of the redevelopment, Bayfair has announced new additions to the centre, including United Cinemas, international craft beer gastropub, Little Creatures, and Cleaver & Co bar and restaurant.
Australian-owned United Cinemas, owned and operated by the Mustaca Family, has been in the cinema business since 1987 and has acquired and built eight cinema complexes, with a total of 46 theatres, across Australia. Bayfair will be its first New Zealand cinema complex with seven screens and United’s “Grand Theatre” set to house the largest screen and Dolby Atmos Digital Sound offering in the region.
“We want to be a part of the transformation and offer the people of the Bay of Plenty region an exceptional cinema experience,” said United Cinemas Australia chairman Roy Mustaca
Australian craft beer brewer Little Creatures will be another first for the Bay of Plenty. It is scheduled to open in December 2018 in the centre’s new alfresco dining precinct and off the back of its first New Zealand opening at Catalina Bay in Hobsonville, Auckland.
Countdown will be sporting a brand-new look, relocating from its existing location to a newly built supermarket at the Harris and Carter Streets end of the centre.
“The new Countdown will have some fantastic new features for the community including fresh, new look produce, deli and seafood departments,” said Countdown’s general manager property, Adrian Walker.
“We have a strategy across all our stores to reduce our environmental footprint, and the new Bayfair store will have a focus on next generation energy and reducing carbon emissions, to support our target to reduce our carbon emissions to 10 per cent below our 2015 levels by 2020.”
“As part of our commitment to be single-use plastic carrier bag free by the end of 2018, the new Countdown Bayfair will open being single-use plastic carrier bag free.”
The development programme includes stages opening pre-Christmas 2018 and completing Q3 2019.
