03 April 2013
Development will include the arrival of new high-profile retailers and improved traffic access
Auckland Airport today announced an expansion and refurbishment of the airport shopping centre, on George Bolt Memorial Drive north of the terminals, which is attracting new high-profile retail brands to the fast-growing precinct.
The development includes new community facilities, better traffic access and improvements to the retail experience aimed at enhancing the shopping centre destination for airport workers and local and international visitors.
Auckland Airport is refurbishing and expanding the existing retail footprint of the centre and has signed conditional lease agreements for the newly expanded site with two new tenants, both international brands. The expansion will also feature a new large scale retail space at the northern end of the shopping complex.
As part of the upgrade, traffic access to the shopping centre will be improved with the addition of a second entrance and exit to the centre directly off George Bolt Memorial Drive.
“This development of retail facilities is part of our on-going programme of enhancements to the range of services available within the airport precinct. We want the airport to offer the best amenities to the tens of thousands of people – particularly airport workers, travellers and visitors – who use the facilities every day,” says Peter Alexander, General Manager Property for Auckland Airport.
Planned enhancements in and around the shopping centre include a playground designed by renowned international urban planner James Lord and bold new landscaping features to enhance the aesthetics of the area.
“The development will create a pedestrian-friendly modern retail environment,” Mr Alexander says.
“The materials and colours used in the shopping centre expansion and refurbishment will have a distinctly Auckland regional theme and will reflect the airport environment and the site’s rural heritage. The new retail tenancies have also been designed specifically to match our design brief and fit with the airport environs.”
The development is expected to further accelerate recent growth in the number of shoppers using the airport’s facilities. Currently the Auckland Airport corridor attracts more than 38 million visits per year.
Mr Alexander says a range of other developments are in the pipeline to improve facilities and enhance the airport environment.
“Like other innovative airports around the world, Auckland Airport is evolving from being a simple transport hub to becoming an integral part of the communities it services. Part of this transformation involves giving the precinct a strong architectural identity and establishing a real sense of ‘place’ that visitors can identify with.”
Work on the shopping centre development is expected to be completed by October 2013.
In a further sign of the growing importance of the airport’s shopping centre as a retail destination, The Warehouse in association with Auckland Airport is also undertaking improvements to its store at the airport shopping centre. This includes a major overhaul of the entrance and façade of The Warehouse to provide a light and inviting entrance to the store, and modernisation works to the interior of the store.
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For further information, please contact:
Kate Thompson
+64 21 385 446