[COM] Armada Arndale (Redevelopment) | $200m

[DcD2510]

I do believe Armada are going to extensively Renovate, a Sandwich shop opened after more then probably 6 months, then they have made the corridor near The Reject Shop and Coles where Aldi is going narrow, they are building a large sized Aldi from the looks and it looks like it will look really good. By The Way, is there a way to get up to the 2nd floor of Harris Scarfes permanent normal location legally, I want to see what is up there now, I wonder if it is open to people, anyone work there? My Nanna who frequents the centre said she would ask her friends kids that work there, if this page is to go by though, everything up there is the same and also, how do you know?

Thanks

[rev]

I do believe Armada are going to extensively Renovate, a Sandwich shop opened after more then probably 6 months, then they have made the corridor near The Reject Shop and Coles where Aldi is going narrow, they are building a large sized Aldi from the looks and it looks like it will look really good. By The Way, is there a way to get up to the 2nd floor of Harris Scarfes permanent normal location legally, I want to see what is up there now, I wonder if it is open to people, anyone work there? My Nanna who frequents the centre said she would ask her friends kids that work there, if this page is to go by though, everything up there is the same and also, how do you know?

Thanks

They are going to need to do more then renovate and open up sandwich shops.
The second level needs to not only reopen, but they need to expand it over the southern car park towards Red Rooster, and link the actual center to the cinema complex.
They need to improve their advertisements/branding because when you do get the occasional flyer in your letterbox from them, it looks cheap and tacky like it's from a second rate discount retailer.
Employ someone with a better sense of style whose better at graphic design and marketing.

What they've done, with the new loading dock fronting towards Torrens Road, gives you the impression there is no master plan or anything, and whatever they are doing is all disjointed and on the fly. At least if they expanded the second level over that area, they could conceal an ugly loading dock.

[how good is he]

Rev, I would normally agree with your points but with this particular shopping centre [Arndale] there is no point having a master plan to expand the centre if there is little or no demand to take up new space. Further if the current shops/traders are struggling there is likely to be even more vacant shops in the existing centre. I suspect it is because of this that the decisions are not made "on the fly" but rather when and only when it is led by demand [ie Aldi]. It would be great if they embarked on a master plan and spent [big] money on an expansion but what is the benefit if it was to sit there empty anyway?

[Mpol03]

They need to demolish the entire centre and make it a little quirky.
Spend good money and have the big supermarkets but also make it a little more market like. A modern outdoor/indoor market that would really cater the area rather than having another mall that has nothing to offer. Even the cinemas are always quite.
I feel this area is starting to really come alive again especially with the Saint Clair development taking shape. It would be a ripe oppurtunity to do something great to the site that isn't like West Lakes (or a mall for that matter).

[rev]

Rev, I would normally agree with your points but with this particular shopping centre [Arndale] there is no point having a master plan to expand the centre if there is little or no demand to take up new space. Further if the current shops/traders are struggling there is likely to be even more vacant shops in the existing centre. I suspect it is because of this that the decisions are not made "on the fly" but rather when and only when it is led by demand [ie Aldi]. It would be great if they embarked on a master plan and spent [big] money on an expansion but what is the benefit if it was to sit there empty anyway?

Because people shouldn't have to drive 20 minutes to another generic shitty westfield.

[Eurostar]

St Clair has Coles and many other shops, plus plenty of parking and is within walking distance from homes in St Clair and Cheltenham so there is reasons to choose shopping at St Clair for many people rather than going to Arndale.

[how good is he]

Rev, do you remember what it looked like before Centro did their renovation only a few years back? If the Westfield (I assume you mean West Lakes one) is shitty what comparable centre would you like to see here? Maybe Burnside Village? Mpol, Armada paid $135m and you really think they are going to knock it down? I don’t get what you think the demographics of the area are that could justify knocking it over and re-building it? I agree with the very good point made by Eurostar about St Clair.

[relapse]

Once David Jones closed John Martins at Arndale, Westfield saw the writing on the wall and sold it and bought West Lakes because they knew it was not going to recover.

Sadly over the last 15 years it has felt as though Arndale has been dying a death by 1000 cuts. I actually have no idea what can be done to rejuvenate that shopping centre as there is absolutely nothing at all to entice people to go there especially as West Lakes is only 10 minutes up the road.

Honestly I think someone would be crazy to spend that kind of money on redeveloping Arndale unless it involved making the center smaller and selling off some of the land.

[rev]

Once David Jones closed John Martins at Arndale, Westfield saw the writing on the wall and sold it and bought West Lakes because they knew it was not going to recover.

Sadly over the last 15 years it has felt as though Arndale has been dying a death by 1000 cuts. I actually have no idea what can be done to rejuvenate that shopping centre as there is absolutely nothing at all to entice people to go there especially as West Lakes is only 10 minutes up the road.

Honestly I think someone would be crazy to spend that kind of money on redeveloping Arndale unless it involved making the center smaller and selling off some of the land.

And yet the place is always busy throughout the day.....
And yet the owners are planning on doing a further two stages of redevelopments adding around 70 new stores, after already doing renovations and adding new stores and eateries....

It takes a lot longer then 10 minutes "up the road". What's your definition of "10 minutes up the road"? Are you blacking out while driving and have large lapses in your memory?
Because I don't know how anyone thinks it's 10 minutes "up the road".
It takes at least a good 10 minutes to get to Bunnings on Port Road..

West Lakes is owned and operated by Scentre Group under the Westfield banner.
Arndale is owned and operated by RetPro under the Armada banner.

Two competing companies in the shopping center business who are trying to attract or do attract much the same in clients to lease retail space to. Of course Scentre Group(the Australian/NZ spin off from the break up of Westfield Group) is in another league with $40 billion in assets, but that's besides the point.
The logic some of you have should see you commenting that all other shopping centers within a 10 minute radius of West Lakes should shut down because..reasons...
Fulham Gardens shopping center quite a few years ago under went a renovation. Why? West Lakes is almost on it's door step..it's still busy despite West Lakes being around the corner.

Arndale is operated by a competitor company to West Lakes' operators.
They are running a business. They want to be successful in running their business. So what they will do, is they will renovate and update and expand on what is already there. They will bring in new retail outlets, eateries, and whatever else they need to make their center a bigger success then what it already is. You might not have any idea how to rejuvenate it, but that's why you'll never be in charge of anything more then running the payment of your quarterly bills, and those running shopping center portfolios will be in charge of expanding their portfolios and value of their assets.


If you want to drive 20+ minutes to West Lakes, go right ahead and enjoy your self. Arndale isn't going anywhere. And I much prefer Arndale to West Lakes, with or without renovations.

[pushbutton]

I've driven between Arndale and West Lakes shopping centres many times. I'd be amazed if anyone can make it take more than 10 minutes!

In fact, I've ridden my bike between the centres in about 10 - 15 minutes.

[bits]

I've driven between Arndale and West Lakes shopping centres many times. I'd be amazed if anyone can make it take more than 10 minutes!

Independent umpire disagrees.
However 10mins isn't far from the mark.

[pushbutton]

The screenshots above from Google maps confirm what I said. It takes 10 minutes to drive between the centres (unless you regard an extra 2 or 3 minutes as a problem)!

[rev]

I just checked on google maps and it says 14 minutes.

Bottom line is this. Both centers are owned by two different companies. Why the fuck would one not renovate and expand their center to compete?

This whole fallacy of west lakes being "10 minutes up the road" therefore Arndale being irrelevant is stupid.
Westfield Bondi Junction is 13 minutes from the Sydney CBD. 500 stores over 8 levels. If your logic had any basis in reality, why has Scentre Group kept it? Why lol isn't it too close
Sydney is obviously a bigger place, but the same basic principle applies.

Perth..Westfield Innaloo, 11minutes from the CBD...but whyyy...
It gets better...Westfield Whitford City is 14 minutes north of Westfield Innaloo...

Wait wait..there's more..Brisbane..Westfield Carindale is 10 minutes from up the road from Westfield Garden City...like, literally up the road...well with a slight bend in the road, but it's still a lot more up an actual single road then Arndale is from West Lakes..

There's no logic to your argument. Let it go.

[claybro]

But everyone is looking at this from an Adelaide point of view of low density. Is there any reason Arndale can't be connected to the OH line by light rail (if it ever got off the ground) and some serious high density housing be constructed in conjunction with re developement of the entire centre? I don't mean a low cost ghetto, a well planned, well landscaped and well connected communty based around the existing centre?

[Torrens_5022]

Westfield Plenty Valley and Epping Plaza are only 10mins apart and both have undergone massive renovations in the last decade or so, both in pretty low density areas. Many shopping centres are within 10 or 15mins of another large one. Arndale has pretty big potential, a lot of people heading to West Lakes have to go past Arndale to get there.