Boost to shopping in Tauranga

A revamped bar, French cafe, funky design store and craft lover's megastore are injecting new life into Tauranga's hospitality and retail scene, while creating more than 50 new jobs in the city.
Ten years after first looking for a site in the city, Spotlight - the country's largest fabric, craft and home interior retailer - is currently being built at the Gate Pa Shopping Centre on Cameron Rd.
The building will be completed in April and is set to open mid-year, employing between 30 and 40 full and part-time staff.
Meanwhile, design store Nood (New Objects of Desire) opened at Fraser Cove on Fraser St yesterday.
Owned by retail entrepreneur Jan Cameron, former owner of the Kathmandu chain, the store is on the former site of the Dog's Breakfast retail outlet, also owned by Ms Cameron.
The arrival of Nood has generated two extra jobs.
Beauty store Lush is also due to open at Bayfair on Monday, creating six new jobs.
In Tauranga's central city, Yellow Place - French Cafe has done a roaring lunchtime trade since opening its doors in the centre of Picadilly Arcade (between Devonport Rd and Grey St) last Monday.
Creating seven new jobs, French owners Frederic Wasem and Anna Kare moved to Tauranga after visiting while on holiday.
Along The Strand, Coyote Bar is currently being gutted and remodelled into Syndicate Bar and Bistro which the owners said was set to offer a stronger focus on dining and cocktails, rather than cheap drinks and a nightclub atmosphere.
The bar is owned by couple Riki Walls and Becks Doney, who planned to create a venue offering a dining area on one side and a casual cocktail, beer and wine bar on the other.
"It's a whole new kettle of fish, we're going for quality really and just dragging The Strand into the new age," Mr Walls said.
"We're going to leave the doof doof to the other end (of The Strand)."
About 12 extra staff will be employed at Syndicate Bar and Bistro over the summer period, until about late February.
Some of them would stay on as the business would now trade seven days a week instead of five.
Mr Walls said the new venue would offer a similar experience to cafes in Wellington and Auckland, while he and Miss Doney had also done research in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. He said the venue, set to open in mid-December would also cater for travelling business people wanting breakfasts and wireless internet access.
Mainstreet Tauranga manager Kirby Weis said new businesses, including another set to arrive next to Books a Plenty on Grey St, added to the variety and strength of the city centre.
At Bethlehem Town Centre educational children's store, Clever Kids, was also due to open next week.
Meanwhile, the future was not so bright for Grey St business Stirling Sports.
Owners Nigel and Gina Shanks had previously owned a successful Stirling Sports store in Gisborne and thought the market for another sports store in a city the size of Tauranga was there.
The store opened a year ago.
"I thought there was plenty of room here, but seemingly there isn't," he said.
Mr Shanks said a combination of tough economic times and the buying habits of residents may have contributed to the store "failing to reach a sustainable turnover", while the choice of location had also been suggested to him as a contributing factor.
Stirling Sports was currently holding a closing down sale and was expected to close its doors in mid- January.
The closure will see two staff members, besides Mr and Mrs Shanks, lose their jobs.
"We've got outstanding staff and it's very sad, we'll try as hard as we can to find them something," Mr Shanks said.
Business development manager for Priority One Richard Kinzett said new businesses opening and existing ones revamping their presence were are a reflection that people were prepared to put a higher level of investment into the region.
Their timing also suggested they planned to take advantage of the summer visitors, Mr Kinzett said.
"It's reassuring to see people have got that confidence back."