Papamoa Whitcoulls to close

Papamoa Whitcoulls is to close its doors as part of the fallout of the sale of the troubled chain.
Whitcoulls has been bought by New Zealanders Anne and David Norman, who also own Pascoes, Farmers, Stevens and Prouds. But the deal did not include three shops already closed by the Christchurch earthquake, or an additional three shops including Papamoa.
Staff at the store told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend they did not wish to comment on the closure.
It is not known how many staff are currently employed in the Papamoa store, but the total affected by the three new closures - Papamoa, Upper Hutt and Albany - is 25.
James Pascoe Ltd general manager Kevin Turner said the company had not bought the Papamoa store because it was "not financially viable".
But he said there was a possibility of Whitcoulls opening new stores in the Western Bay in the future.
"Retail is a moving thing. We will be looking for further stores around New Zealand."
The closure of Whitcoulls will create another empty space at CentaMax Plaza, the outdoor retail space alongside Fashion Island.
Some shops at the complex have been empty for months, including the former Video Ezy and Homebreak Cafe.
Simon Clark from Colliers, which leases the space Whitcoulls currently rents, said the closure was a shame.
"It's a real pity that Whitcoulls have gone.
"I think it [the retail climate in Papamoa] is improving.
"The feedback we are getting with Pak'n Save opening [in September last year] is that [the area] is trading better.
"Anecdotally you definitely see more cars there.
"Maybe they [Whitcoulls] based their decision on a lot of historical data before Pak'n Save."
Mr Clark said there were five vacancies in the CentaMax complex, not including Whitcoulls.
But there was movement in the Papamoa retail market, he said, and a 24 hour gym had recently signed up to lease a space at the back of CentaMax.
The two empty shop spaces next to the new KFC were also close to being leased, Mr Clark said.
Overall, Tauranga retail space vacancy was 4.5 per cent, below the national average and Auckland's rate of 5.5 per cent, Mr Clark said.