Local shoppers will be enjoying a bigger and brighter experience at the Bay's biggest shopping mall within six months.
The latest $15 million refurbishment for Bayfair Shopping Centre - which includes Woolworths' own $6 million upgrade of its supermarket - is well under way and will be completed in November.
The artist's
impression, provided exclusively for the Bay of Plenty Times, shows the eastern end of the mall will be pushed out into the outdoor carpark and line up with the Nevada Mega Surf corner store on the western end.
The additional retail space will be taken up by Australian-based chainstore, JB Hi-Fi, and five other new tenancies.
JB Hi-Fi, which has more than 100 stores on both sides of the Tasman, is Australia's biggest CD retailer and second for sales of computer games, televisions and car stereos.
Bayfair will be housing the first JB Hi-Fi store in the Bay, after the popular retailer opened in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Palmerston North.
Food operators Burgerfuel, Nando's, Subway and Saaj Indian Cuisine have moved out to make way for the extension - and they are expected to return and take up the frontage, with Saaj having already re-signed.
A new covered and glass eastern entranceway is being built through the old Robert Harris Cafe which closed at the end of the January.
Shoppers will have a straight walk through to the foodcourt. Hardy's Healthy Living, Pero's Hairtek and Blueberry Fashions will be relocated. Professionail is also moving to the other side of the mall.
The two existing entrances to Woolworths will be closed and replaced by a new wider one, reached from the centre of the foodcourt.
Outside, the industrial-looking canopies will be remodelled, the pebble pavement replaced by concrete, and the facade, seen from Maunganui Rd and Girven Rd, will have smarter, simpler lines - as well as a fresh coat of paint and new lighting.
Bayfair management will also be upgrading the bus stop outside the western mall entrance - access for disabled people will be provided and a bus shelter built. The Bay Hopper buses will stop in Harris St around the corner while the work is being done.
Bayfair Shopping Centre attracts 5.5 million shoppers a year, turns over more than $170 million, and has net rental income of about $12 million.
Centre manager Andrew Wadsworth said the refurbishment would bring the mall up to the standard of the best shopping centres around the country.
The shopping centre will increase in size to 35,000 sq m and have a record 98 tenants when the refurbishment is completed in November.
BAYFAIR'S GROWTH
1983: Shopping centre site bought by Government Life Insurance (now Tower Corporation).
1984: 3 Guys Supermarket opens.
1985: Further 27 stores open, taking up 9000 sq m of retail space.
1993: Countdown, Kmart and specialty stores open, doubling size to 18,000 sq m.
2000: $50 million revamp, with additional 14,000 sq m.
2002: Opening of Farmers department store, Countdown extension, further specialty stores, Caltex Service Station and four-level carpark.
2010: $15 million upgrade, including $6 million Woolworths refurbishment, and number of tenants reach 98.
