News & Discussion: CBD Retail

[Ben]

Not sure if HJ's are downsizing... but on the other side I think Maccas are expanding...

Type: Application Assessed on Merit
Application Number: DA/560/2016
Lodgement Date: 16/08/2016
Location: Hungry Jacks, Ground 161-163 Rundle Street, ADELAIDE SA 5000
Description: Create new tenancy, changes to facade including wall cladding, new and replacement signage.

Type: Application Assessed on Merit
Application Number: DA/556/2016
Lodgement Date: 15/08/2016
Location: CITI CENTRE ARCADE, 141-159 Rundle Mall, ADELAIDE SA 5000
Description: Demolish canopy and install new canopy and facade facing Rundle Mall and associated internal works.

[Nathan]

I don't think it's McDonald's expanding - there'd be no benefit as customers can already make use of the full food court seating. The former Optus store and foreign exchange are being combined though.

[Patrick_27]

Not sure if HJ's are downsizing... but on the other side I think Maccas are expanding...

Type: Application Assessed on Merit
Application Number: DA/560/2016
Lodgement Date: 16/08/2016
Location: Hungry Jacks, Ground 161-163 Rundle Street, ADELAIDE SA 5000
Description: Create new tenancy, changes to facade including wall cladding, new and replacement signage.

Type: Application Assessed on Merit
Application Number: DA/556/2016
Lodgement Date: 15/08/2016
Location: CITI CENTRE ARCADE, 141-159 Rundle Mall, ADELAIDE SA 5000
Description: Demolish canopy and install new canopy and facade facing Rundle Mall and associated internal works.

Good news about the HJ's, that space has been in desperate need of a make-over for at-least the last fifteen years, if not longer. I'd say that based on how well the size of their Hindley Street restaurant has worked they have probably realised that they don't need the capacity of seating that it currently provided. It'll likely be the southern most part of their floor-space that will be cut off, the only question that leaves is whether or not they'll still be providing bathrooms, at this point it seems unlikely.

Also a welcomed upgrade from Citi Centre arcade, though it's probably not enough considering how awful the building's appearance and it's layout are. They'd probably be better off bulldozing all but the office building and starting afresh. Perhaps then they might be able to encourage another large retail tenant to accompany Nike.

[ghs]

The Hampshire hotel on Grote street has closed down and has a 'For Lease' sign on it.

I am thinking about starting up a business which produces metallic 'For Lease' signs. It would be
a pretty good business in Adelaide. Anyone interested in setting up a partnership ?

[timtam20292]

The Hampshire hotel on Grote street has closed down and has a 'For Lease' sign on it.

I am thinking about starting up a business which produces metallic 'For Lease' signs. It would be
a pretty good business in Adelaide. Anyone interested in setting up a partnership ?

Holy crap, haven't been there for a few weeks but I'd go there for drinks every Friday night.

[Patrick_27]

The Hampshire hotel on Grote street has closed down and has a 'For Lease' sign on it.

That didn't last long, they only reopened after changing hands in late 2014.

[crawf]

The Hampshire hotel on Grote street has closed down and has a 'For Lease' sign on it.

I am thinking about starting up a business which produces metallic 'For Lease' signs. It would be
a pretty good business in Adelaide. Anyone interested in setting up a partnership ?

Maybe you can now get a carpark opposite the Central Markets...

[monotonehell]

...I am thinking about starting up a business which produces metallic 'For Lease' signs. It would be
a pretty good business in Adelaide. Anyone interested in setting up a partnership ?

I think you'll find that market is crowded already.

[Ben]

...I am thinking about starting up a business which produces metallic 'For Lease' signs. It would be
a pretty good business in Adelaide. Anyone interested in setting up a partnership ?

I think you'll find that market is crowded already.

Don't encourage him.

[The Scooter Guy]

The O-Hotel in North Adelaide now has the suspension extended for another year (until August 2017).

The 'For Lease' label on the Spurling Formal Wear sign (Grenfell St) has now been removed, along with the 'For Sale' signs on the south/east facades of the Twin Plaza building.
It has been vacant since December 2013 and I suspect Grenfell St is slowly being revitalized into a thriving 'Food Alley'.

[Ben]

Lots of changes happening. Hoarding up over citi Centre and the front tenancies.

Live is closing down but the site has already been leased to someone else. Not sure who.

Lush are moving into the former diesel site across from their current myer Centre site.

One of the run down buildings down near kind William street has had the whole facade removed.

ANZ bank has closed and has hoarding around it.

[Nathan]

ANZ is just for a refit, they've had signs up for a couple of weeks saying they'll be closed for 5 days or so.

[Llessur2002]

If I didn't like certain elements of the buildings exterior facing onto Rundle Mall

I work in the building and can honestly say I don't like any aspect of the building's exterior facing onto Rundle Mall. Yeah it's got some marble on it but you know the old saying: you can put some marble cladding onto a big square turd but at the end of the day it's still a big square turd.

That aside, all four office floors are newly refurbished and fully occupied. I don't think the upper retail floors are too far separated from the mall to be unviable - ideally larger/more prominent escalators could be put in as the current one leading up is rather tiny. More ambitiously, perhaps some of the marble cladding could be removed from the first floor and replaced with glass to make a very prominent retail frontage? Not sure about the feasibility of this but it could work.

With regards to city apartments, there are many empty heritage buildings that could work really well as apartments if only the regulations could be relaxed to allow it - the Pharmacy Building directly opposite Rundle Mall Plaza for a start. I've sat at my desk staring at its empty upper floors for several years now. Such a waste.

I've actually felt a bit bad since I posted this a couple of weeks ago - despite working in the building for a few years now I've never really taken too much notice of it architecturally but in the last couple of weeks I have made a point of looking up at it from different vantage points when I've been walking along the Mall and admit it's kinda growing on me. It's pretty different to most things that were built in 1962ish and must have looked as modern as all hell when it first went up. Compared to the Myer Centre next door it's aged remarkably well.

There are some photos up in the lobby of the building showing it under construction, as well as this one which was taken in 1960 - must have been the last days of the Birk's building as there is a 'Coming Soon' billboard on the corner of the building showing RMP.


http://i.imgur.com/ObtzTGq.jpg



Also, the Birk's building looks to have subsided a bit at the western end where the additional storeys had been added.

[Ben]

So Westpac are opening where Optus and the foreign exchange was in Citi Centre Arcade. Odd as there are already so many branches in the city 3 others within 1km. 1KW Street, Corner of Gawler Place and Pirie, Corner of King William and Grenfell. Maybe the Pirie Street would close? I can't imagine they would open an additional branch but its odd in general with so many so close. Pirie Street branch has a lot of business customers too but is the only one that hasn't been renovated.

[Patrick_27]

So Westpac are opening where Optus and the foreign exchange was in Citi Centre Arcade. Odd as there are already so many branches in the city 3 others within 1km. 1KW Street, Corner of Gawler Place and Pirie, Corner of King William and Grenfell. Maybe the Pirie Street would close? I can't imagine they would open an additional branch but its odd in general with so many so close. Pirie Street branch has a lot of business customers too but is the only one that hasn't been renovated.

Well that's not very exciting, Ben. I guess at-least the site will be occupied! They could probably survive without closing any of their branches when you consider that most of the other major banks have four outlets in the city (well, I know BankSA do) but that said; I get what you mean, the Pirie Street outlet does seem like to most logical to close.