News & Discussion: CBD Retail

[Nathan]

Update. I was talking to an associate who said he had overheard the tradies inside, saying it was going to be a Korean restaurant.

[jk1237]

General Pants co has opened in Rundle Mall. Fairly large shop as its 2 levels

[Adeguy72]

The Tiser reported this morning that K-Mart is taking over the Toys R Us space in the Renaisance Tower after Christmas.
This will be there first multi level store in Australia.
Just need Big W to open up and all the big natioanl retailers will have a store in the Mall.

[Alyx]

KMART will open its first city-based store in Australia in Rundle Mall mid-next year.

And the move is setting the scene for a battle for dominance between the major retailers.

Kmart will take over the current Renaissance Centre site of Toys `R' Us, which is closing down after 17 years.

Rundle Mall Management Authority chairman Theo Maras said it was a coup for the Mall, which would now have all of the major retailers represented.

"Harris Scarfe, Myer, David Jones, Target, Coles, Woolworths and now Kmart will be there, which shows you that they think something good is happening," Mr Maras said.

"Coles will be opening directly opposite Woolworths because they see that Woolworths has been doing so well and they think `we want a piece of that'. The beauty of that is they will both be open until 9pm on weeknights, which will bring people into the Mall."

Kmart spokeswoman Lauren O'Hara said it would be the first Kmart in Australia located in a central business district.

It would employ about 130 people.

"It is the first multi-level store for Kmart in all of Australia," Ms O'Hara said.

"It will be across two selling floors and Kmart will be the only retailer in Rundle Mall with a direct mall frontage."

The downside is that the Mall will lose its largest toy store. The arrival of the two-floor toy emporium sparked a "toy war" when doors opened in September 1994, with prices on top selling items the major casualties. About 7000 people applied for the 100 or so jobs then on offer, at what was then the company's 12th Australian store.

The chain spread to Tea Tree Centre in 1995 and there are currently four stores in SA including the Rundle Mall site. It is understood the Rundle Mall store will close in January before being refurbished for Kmart's entry.

Toys `R' Us staff are understood to have been told of the imminent closure. It has 35 stores across Australia.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/our- ... 6173574706

[Vee]

KMART will open its first city-based store in Australia in Rundle Mall mid-next year.

And the move is setting the scene for a battle for dominance between the major retailers.

Kmart will take over the current Renaissance Centre site of Toys `R' Us, which is closing down after 17 years.

Rundle Mall Management Authority chairman Theo Maras said it was a coup for the Mall, which would now have all of the major retailers represented.

"Harris Scarfe, Myer, David Jones, Target, Coles, Woolworths and now Kmart will be there, which shows you that they think something good is happening," Mr Maras said.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/our- ... 6173574706

The Rundle Mall is, and should be, unique.
Success should not be judged by how many of the big discount stores it can attract. It is in danger of replicating what is on offer at the big suburban shopping centres (which currently have an advantage of free/cheap parking for consumers to carry home bulky purchases) and not providing enough of that edge of difference and diversity to attract residents and visitors.

Extended trading in the evenings for some stores should provide added convenience for the increasing numbers of city residents as well as visitors and a welcome increase in foot traffic and perceived safety in the area. The popup stores, bars, laneway projects etc are vital ingredients in the mix, especially to capture some of the spillover effect of the revitalized Adelaide Oval and rejuvenated Riverbank precinct.

[Adeguy72]

Would be great if we can get some life into the mall after hours.
Opening up the laneways with cafes & bars is a great idea in my view.
Time will tell if the council can pull off their strategy.

[Omicron]

I'd expect Kmart to be open until 9pm at the earliest each weeknight, like all their suburban stores. That should help Mall activity in the evenings.

[Ben]

Looks like the old Cafe Primo is going to now be retail. Has anyone been past lately? Would love to know what store in such a prominant location and it's quite a large area too.

Type: Complying Development
Application Number: DA/881/2011
Lodgement Date: 24/10/2011
Location: Ground 296 Rundle Street, ADELAIDE SA 5000
Description: Retail shop fit-out

[Nathan]

It's going to be an "oriental cuisine" restaurant, according to the signs in the window asking for staff. The name is on there too, but I forget what it is. Not sure why the DA says retail shop.

[crawf]

Maybe the restaurant is going upstairs?

[Will]

Looks like the old Cafe Primo is going to now be retail. Has anyone been past lately? Would love to know what store in such a prominant location and it's quite a large area too.

Type: Complying Development
Application Number: DA/881/2011
Lodgement Date: 24/10/2011
Location: Ground 296 Rundle Street, ADELAIDE SA 5000
Description: Retail shop fit-out

The building that housed Cafe Primo, actually has 3 tenancies on the ground floor. 2 of which are vacant, but which have been recently leased. The tenancy one the corner is going to be an Asian restaurant, and I suspect that this DA may refer to the other tenancy.

[Nathan]

The building that housed Cafe Primo, actually has 3 tenancies on the ground floor. 2 of which are vacant, but which have been recently leased. The tenancy one the corner is going to be an Asian restaurant, and I suspect that this DA may refer to the other tenancy.

That makes sense now. So it would be the smaller space where Madera, then Lani's Lunch Bar, was. The bead shop in the middle, and then restaurant on the corner.
I always wonder how that bead shop could possibly do enough business to justify Rundle St rents...

[crawf]

Krispy Kreme has eyes on our dough
From: Sunday Mail (SA) November 05, 2011 10:00pm

South Australian enthusiasts could get a taste of the doughnuts within a year. Picture: Richard Cisar-Wright
FREQUENT flyers rejoice: no longer will you have to wrestle your luggage around boxes of doughnuts.

Krispy Kremes will be sold in Adelaide as early as next year.

The licence to distribute the popular treats in SA has been granted to Peregrine Corporation, which operates On the Run stores.

The company's executive director Yasser Shahin said the deal had been "years in the making". "We're thrilled," he said. "No longer will people have to bring them back to Adelaide on a plane."

The glazed doughnuts sold in the state will be manufactured in Adelaide.

"I can't remember the last time there was good news about a manufacturing plant," Mr Shahin said.

The deal was closed this week, and he said South Australian enthusiasts could get a taste of the doughnuts within a year. The plant would create about 100 jobs.

"I think Adelaide's come of age," Mr Shahin said. "We'll have everything here."

He said there were 16,000 members of a Facebook group dedicated to demanding Krispy Kreme come to Adelaide.

[JamesXander]

lol at Mr shahin. We will have KK now our lives are complete! For mine I would rather a competitive service station market in adelaide, instead of the monopoly which we now have. How the takeover of all the Mobil sites this year was approved ill never know?

[Allkai]

Yep, I lol'd at "Adelaide has come of age" as well.

IIRC, at the same time as KK dying in the ass interstate and closing down at a rapid rate of knots.