Artymass Therapeutic Massage owner Sybil Roberts is one of the last occupants in the otherwise deserted shopping centre. Photo / Paul Taylor
Artymass Therapeutic Massage owner Sybil Roberts is one of the last occupants in the otherwise deserted shopping centre. Photo / Paul Taylor
The owners of Napier’s Ocean Boulevard – the closest thing the city has to a mall – say they have no plans to revamp the once-vibrant shopping centre that is now largely empty.
There are “for lease” signs up in the windows of most former occupants, except for those frontingDickens St and Emerson St.
Bed, Bath & Beyond was one of the last shops to leave earlier this year and the precinct that connects two main streets has become little more than a public walkway.
The Sung family bought the property about a decade ago and say a downturn in the economy, combined with the impact of Covid-19, has made it challenging to fill tenancies.
However, others say the shopping centre is “gagging for some love” and a campaign should be started to “Save Ocean Boulevard”.
“People walked through all the time. It was noisy, it was vibrant,” she said.
“I’d love to see it utilised more. Perhaps we need a public campaign to save Ocean Boulevard.”
It even boasted a foodcourt with a McDonald’s during the early 2000s but that section was closed more than 15 years ago and is now a standalone store, Two Dollar Things Plus, with access available only from the street.
The foodcourt, pictured in 2002, has now gone. Photo / NZME
Roberts said she believed Ocean Boulevard needed new owners to bring change.
“Gradually over the years the maintenance has dwindled, and you are getting riff-raff in there who are just not respecting the place any more because it is so empty.
“I’d like to see it go back into some sort of entertainment and food area.
“In the winter time, it is a perfect indoor arena and you could actually have buskers and entertainment and little children’s competitions ... it has to be vibrant and you have to have a hook.”
Roberts said “we need to get the creativity back into Napier”, as was happening in the southern part of Hastings CBD.
Most of the shops inside Ocean Boulevard are now empty. Photo / Warren Buckland
Roberts’ business is in a small section of Ocean Boulevard, including the pharmacy, that is not owned by the Sung family.
A Sung family spokesperson told Hawke’s Bay Today they had no plans to redevelop the site to attract new tenants.
“[But] we have always been open to internal changes based on tenancy requirements.”
There were several challenging factors for filling tenancies at present. “Overall, policy changes over the years have left less money in consumers’ pockets and added extra costs [and] difficulties to all types of businesses.
“These factors have negatively affected the economy and, as a result, reduced sales, investments and tenancy demand.”
He said Covid “certainly didn’t help” and resulted in a rise in online shopping. The family was hopeful there would be a return to physical shopping over time.
Ocean Boulevard shopping centre during better days, in the early 2000s. Photo / NZME
When asked if they would be willing to sell, the spokesperson said that would “depend on timing”.
The family bought the property after visiting the region on a couple of occasions and “saw it as an opportunity and a reason to enjoy the region”.
“It was an emotional purchase rather than a financial one.”
Napier City Business general manager Pip Thompson said the site was “gagging for some love” to attract new tenants.
“It’s a prime opportunity for a fresh, new visionary to get in there and develop it.”
She said the site would lend itself to big retailers such as an H&M or Mecca as it was a big site, but it needed work or a new owner to bring in some fresh ideas.
People often asked what was happening to the site because of its history and prime location, she said.
It had been a challenging time for retailers and hospitality businesses around the city, and everyone was hanging in for a good summer.
“We can’t deny it – it has been quiet. Really quiet. It is not just Napier, I went to Christchurch last weekend and their CBD was quiet as well.
“This is a national and even global situation.”
The city’s main shopping street, Emerson St, currently includes five empty or for-lease shops, while another two are being redeveloped.
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.
