One building to lease in new Mt Roskill retail centre

An artist's impressions of the new retail development at 4 Carr Rd, Mt Roskill. Photo / Supplied

Only one commercial building remains for lease in a new retail centre that's under construction in Mt Roskill and targeted for completion in November.

"We envisage this space could house food and beverage operators who would rub shoulders with, and feed off traffic generated by, the national drawcard brands that have signed up for the complex," says Tim Male of CBRE's retail team who, with colleague Kurt Vernall, is marketing leased areas within the complex at 4 Carr Rd.

Male says the new retail precinct, being developed by Location Group, will be 'transformational' for Mt Roskill which has traditionally been a residential and light industrial area.

"The anchor tenants on long leases are Rebel Sport, Briscoes Homeware and Kreem Cafe," he says. "The retail centre, which is strategically located immediately adjacent to a high-profile Bunnings' site, will open up new shopping and dining opportunities for Mt Roskill residents.

"With Kreem Cafe committed to the precinct, the last available space would suit a convenience food outlet or a complementary tenant to the neighbouring retailers," Male says.

"Location Group is on site now with demolition and earthworks underway. Tenants committing to lease sooner rather than later, have the opportunity to be more involved in the design and layout of their space; tailoring tenancies to their exact needs."

Vernall says the property available for lease is a new, purpose-built 306sq m standalone structure that's being constructed along the Carr Rd frontage.

"It could be a single unit for a big, established food and beverage operator; or it could be split into smaller tenancies."

He says the wider 5321sq m overall retail development is 're-purposing' a classic industrial building on the site to create two new buildings alongside it with 122 car parks.

"The Carr Rd site has great road frontage and is close to the motorway network via nearby State Highway 16 running between Auckland City and Auckland Airport. The opening of the Waterview Tunnel has been a great thing for the whole area and is powering its evolution. With New Lynn and St Lukes shopping centres being a long distance away, the potential for any operator in this new Mt Roskill development is self-evident."

Director Chris Davies says that Location Group, established in 1972, has created numerous new commercial, industrial, and Mixed-Use developments that have also transformed the areas they are in.

"Our company specialises in identifying areas of unfulfilled or tenant-driven demand; undertaking projects in locations as diverse as St Lukes Mega Centre, Zone 23 in Mt Eden, Grace Apartments in Victoria Quarter and the EMA Business Hub on Khyber Pass Rd," Davies says.

"While the group's focus has been on residential new builds and quality refurbishments across Auckland's inner-city suburbs, this has widened over the years to encompass the successful completion of numerous commercial and industrial refurbishments. As a result, our experience in both commercial and residential projects is being put to effective use in developing innovative Mixed-Use communities."

Davies says that when the 4 Carr Rd property came up for sale three years ago, the Location Group saw it as a strategic landholding in a growth area that was headed for a change of use.

"We felt that, even though it was being used as a manufacturing and industrial facility at the time, it had a better and higher use as a retail development. We could see that Carr Rd was evolving demographically and new retail, food and beverage outlets were needed to service the community. We saw the opportunity to regenerate some of the older industrial buildings and provide more amenities for the neighbourhood.

"Also the chance to do something of scale with Bunnings next door wasn't to be missed. We were fortunate to get Rebel Sport and Briscoes Homeware on long leases, comprising about 85 per cent of the development. With them on board, we had the all-important scale for the development to work really effectively.

"Location Group has a long relationship with Kreem Cafe so, when we looked to set up a large standalone cafe that would be complementary to the development, we offered it to the company."

Davies says there are few quality restaurant and dining operators in the area, particularly ones that can offer excellent car parking.

John Bedford of CBRE says the development opportunity came about two years ago when he started working with Location Group to 'find a solution' for the site.

"With Location Group, we looked at different scenarios: a new build, or a conversion of the industrial buildings. In the end, a hybrid solution was the best way forward, as the existing bricks and mortar would work for the main spaces.

"The conversion of an existing industrial warehouse, which we leased to Briscoes Homeware and Rebel Sport, created new retail store formats of 2092sq m and 1220sq m respectively for them on long-term leases.

"Briscoes had been looking at the area for some time, and they liked the idea of being next to Bunnings, a site that Location Group had previously been involved in.

"There is an established connection between the attractions of DIY stores and adjoining retail, food and beverage outlets," Bedford says.

"We expect the precinct will draw considerable custom - not only from people shopping at Bunnings and a lot of sports locations nearby - but it will become known as a destination in its own right."