Major makeover for Meadowlands plaza

An artist's impression of the modernised frontage of the Meadowlands Shopping Plaza. Photo / Supplied

The Meadowlands Shopping Plaza in Howick is to undergo a $3 million-plus refurbishment to modernise the appearance of the retail centre.

Nicholas Piper, general manager of Bayleys Property Services, which manages the centre on behalf of owners Overton Holdings, and who is project-managing the redevelopment, says it will involve a significant makeover of the plaza, located on the corner of Meadowlands Drive and Whitford Rd.

"The centre was originally built in the early 1990s and, in keeping with the development philosophy on shopping centres prevailing at that time, it has an inward-focused design," says Piper.

"The plaza has served the eastern quarter of Auckland for well for over 20 years and has enjoyed good community support. However, the time has come to freshen it up and create a more vibrant retail complex which is more appropriate to the area and today's shopping environment."

The entranceway will be completely rebuilt to give it a more modern, welcoming appearance and let in more natural light, says Mark Ellery of Ellery Muir Design, which is overseeing the redesign of the centre.

An additional entrance will also be built on the western side of the building to improve access from the external carpark, which provides about 220 parking spaces.

Covered outdoor seating areas for a "cafe corner" will also be created at the western corner of the building for a food and beverage tenancy, which will enhance the streetscape appeal of the centre and provide an area for community socialising.

There will be new signage at the carpark entrance and the carpark's landscaping will also be improved. The exterior of the building will be repainted, with modernised canopy cladding, lighting and tenant signage.

Ellery says the inside of the building will also be opened up and "decluttered". The central area at the front of the plaza will be gutted and the food hall will be relocated from near the entranceway to the perimeter of the centre and expanded.

A central seating area will replace the old food-hall space, which Ellery says will create a much brighter and more appealing entrance area. It will also improve visibility for the anchor supermarket tenancy which occupies the rear half of the plaza.

Progressive Enterprises, one of the original anchor tenants, has taken a new 15-year lease over its 3300sq m of space, negotiated by Ed Donald, a retail specialist with Bayleys Auckland. He and Geoff Wyatt, from Bayleys East Tamaki, are handling the leasing of the revamped centre, which will house about 30 tenants.

Progressive is rebranding its supermarket from a Woolworths outlet to a Countdown. It has continued to operate while refurbishing its space. "Progressive has been the plaza's pivotal tenant over the past 20 years and its renewed long-term commitment to the centre and participation in its refurbishment is a huge vote of confidence in the plaza and its future," says Donald.

He says Meadowlands Pharmacy, another of the centre's original tenants, trading under the Amcal brand, has also reconfirmed its tenancy, as have a number of other well-established occupants such as the Automobile Association, which operates its East Auckland service centre from Meadowlands, and the popular beauty treatment business More Than Skin.

Donald says a cafe/bar/restaurant-type business is being sought for about 150sq m of space next to the new western entranceway, and the redevelopment has also opened up an opportunity for additional food-hall tenants. "We'd also be interested in talking to any other retailers who might want to be part of the redevelopment and repositioning of the Meadowlands Plaza."

Piper says Overton Holdings, which has a significant retail portfolio in New Zealand and Australia, acquired the Meadowlands Shopping Plaza in 2008 with a view to redeveloping it and also reviewing the tenant mix.

"Overton understands retailing and what is needed to make these types of medium-sized centres successful, and are focused on maintaining good relationships with tenants." Piper says Overton is also keen to extend the opening hours of the centre. The first stage of refurbishment, involving the exterior and entranceway, will commence early next year and will be followed a few months later by work on the interior. The plaza will continue to trade during refurbishment.

A retail overview by Property Economics shows nearly 78,000 residents live within a 10-minute drive of the Meadowlands Shopping Plaza and have significantly higher household incomes than the Auckland and New Zealand average. This population is forecast to increase to 82,435 people over the next decade.

Over the same period, Property Economics is forecasting retail expenditure within this catchment will grow by about 20 per cent, from $422 million to $505 million.

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