Toombul Shopping Centre
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2020) |
 Toombul shopping centre, 2005 | |
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| Location | Toombul, Brisbane Australia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 27°24′30″S 153°03′40″E / 27.40833°S 153.06111°E |
| Opening date | 11 October 1967 |
| Closing date | 18 May 2022 |
| Developer | Queensland |
| Management | Queensland |
| Owner | Queensland |
| No. of stores and services | 146 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 5 |
| Total retail floor area | 47,034 m² |
| No. of floors | 2 |
| Website | toombul |
Toombul Shopping Centre was an enclosed suburban shopping centre located in the locality of Toombul which is part of Nundah, a suburb of the City of Brisbane in the state of Queensland, Australia. The centre was anchored by Target and Kmart discount department stores, a Coles supermarket, an Aldi Food Store, an eight-screen Event Cinema, and more than 140 specialty stores, including Daiso.
The centre was opened on 11 October 1967 by the Westfield Group. Over the years it was remodelled, with several extensions, the most recent being a new dining and entertainment precinct upgrade on the second level. Toombul was the largest shopping centre on Brisbane's northside, until Westfield Chermside's redevelopment in 1999-2000.
In February 2022, the centre experienced severe damage due to flooding, and a decision was made not to reopen it. Business owners received a letter informing them that "it is impractical and undesirable to reinstate the centre to how it was prior to the flooding damage. As a result, to provide our retailers with certainty we have taken the difficult decision to close Toombul Shopping Centre and terminate all leases."[1]
Demolition commenced in February 2024.[2]
History[edit]
In the mid 1960s, the Westfield Group was looking to expand into Queensland. Co-founder of Westfield, Frank Lowy, sent his brother John and an engineer to the state to scout for potential sites in Brisbane. A local real estate agent, Donald Petrie, showed them the Toombul site, in a growing area of the city but located on a flood plain with a creek flowing through it. [citation needed] Later, the Westfield founders travelled to Brisbane to inspect the site. Realising the commercial potential of the area, the company purchased the property. To overcome the possible flooding problem, Westfield employed experts at a local university to develop a plan. Their solution was to fill and raise one half of the site, and construct a bridge across the creek.[citation needed]
There were problems finding a department store to anchor the centre, and in filling the specialty retail spaces. Because Toombul was close to the Chermside Shopping Centre, which was anchored by a department store, other department stores were cautious about opening in Toombul. Another problem was that Westfield was an unknown developer outside of New South Wales, making it hard to attract retailers. Frank Lowy and Donald Petrie resorted to walking the streets of Brisbane's CBD to find retailers to occupy the centre. That paid off, because the centre was 100% leased on opening. Due to Westfield's relationship with Coles (having built some Coles stores in Sydney), the retailer committed to opening a store at the centre.[citation needed]
The complex opened as Westfield Shopping Town Toombul on Wednesday 11 October 1967. It was originally anchored by a Barry and Roberts department store, a Coles supermarket, a Bayards store and 60 specialty shops. It was the first shopping centre in Brisbane built with air-conditioning (Chermside was converted in 1965) and had off-street parking for up to 1500 vehicles. One of its main features was a water fountain, located within western entrance.[citation needed]
By the early 1970s, the Bayards store had closed, leaving room for another anchor to open. Westfield negotiated a deal with David Jones to open a store at Toombul. That was an unusual move for the retailer, because it had its own development and construction company, and only opened suburban stores in its own "Garden City" shopping centres. The two-level David Jones department store opened in 1972 and was the first extension of the centre. It was also the first David Jones store to open in a Westfield-owned shopping centre.[citation needed]
For a brief time in the 1970s, Toombul was anchored by two department stores, a rarity for an Australian shopping centre at the time. Sometime in the 1970s, a single-screen cinema opened at the centre, the second extension to the complex. By the mid 1970s, Barry and Roberts had closed down their Toombul store, leaving David Jones as the sole department store. In 1978, the discount department store chain Target opened a store in part of the former Barry and Roberts area. A food court was also opened at that time.[citation needed]
A street and two residential blocks adjoining the centre were bought in the late 1970s and construction of the third major extension began. In 1980, the extension opened, involving a new mall, a bus station, an extension to the second level of David Jones, and Best & Less and Kmart discount stores. The total number of specialty shops at the centre increased to over 140. In 1982, the Target store closed, being replaced by McDonnell & East two years later, giving the centre two department stores once again. McDonnell & East closed in 1987, due to its failed expansion strategy, leaving David Jones, Kmart and Coles as the anchors. The fourth major extension opened in 1989 on the part of the site occupied by the former Barry and Roberts store. That extension added a BI-LO supermarket, new specialty stores on the lower level, and an eight-screen Hoyts multiplex cinema (the first not in the Brisbane CBD), as well as a new food court and Sizzler restaurant on the upper mezzanine level. The rest of the centre was also refurbished.[citation needed]
The 1990s were probably Westfield Toombul's last successful decade and, by the early 1990s, it was the largest shopping centre on Brisbane's northside, and the only centre on the northside with a multiplex cinema. The number of specialty shops totalled over 180. The centre held that title until 1999, when the redeveloped Westfield Chermside opened. Although the much larger Chermside centre didn't greatly affect the retail trade of Toombul, it did affect the patronage of the cinema. The more modern, larger 16-screen Birch, Carroll and Coyle multiplex built at Chermside, with Gold Class cinemas and entertainment precinct, drew much of its clientele from the same catchment as the Toombul multiplex, with many preferring to go to Chermside. After the redevelopment of Chermside was completed in 2000, Toombul was relatively neglected by Westfield, with the company preferring to focus on promoting the upgraded Chermside centre.[citation needed]
In 2003, the external facade was modernised, a new bus station constructed, and an outdoor dining precinct was added on the site of the former bus station. The famous "big T" sign, dating from the centre's opening in 1967, was removed. That was the last construction work done by Westfield. In July 2003, the centre was acquired by the Centro Properties Group, in a stock trade deal involving Toombul and other Westfield properties in exchange for Centro's interest in the AMP Shopping Centre Trust. As a result, the centre changed its name from Westfield Toombul to Centro Toombul.[citation needed]
In 2005, Centro announced a two-stage extension of the centre. The first stage added an Aldi Food Store, Fresh Life fresh food mall, and additional specialty stores. The second stage of expansion, which never occurred, was scheduled to add Diner's Life food court on the ground level and convert the old cinemas into a rooftop carpark. That was originally intended to be complete by November 2006.[citation needed]
Around that time, the future of the centre looked uncertain, due to increased competition from rival centres at Chermside, Nundah and Brisbane Airport, as well the ageing building itself. Much of the blame for the decline, even while the surrounding area is booming, has been laid at the feet of Centro, with poor management practices cited.[3]
On 21 August 2008, it was announced that Centro Toombul was for sale.[4]
On 20 July 2010, David Jones announced that it would terminate its lease at Centro Toombul, ending the store's 35-year-long relationship with the centre.[5] After David Jones closed on 29 January 2011, the store space was taken over by discount department store Target.[6]
In May 2011, a new, small food court opened on the ground level near centre court. The new food court housed six outlets, including a Subway.
On 6 October 2011, Target opened at Toombul. The 6,574-square-metre store featured Target’s new store design which included a co-ordinated women’s fashion area, with a major boulevard for accessories, and a beauty shop in the middle of the store, with a cosmetics bar for makeovers, and a state-of-the-art home entertainment department.
In August 2012, the eight-screen multiplex cinema reopened with new furnishings, having closed in 2007. It was operated by Event Cinemas.
In November 2013, the centre was re-branded "Toombul", to reflect the re-branding of Centro Properties Group as Federation Centres in January 2013.[7]
June 2015 saw the closure of the BI-LO supermarket, which had briefly become the second Coles store, leaving only one full supermarket in the centre.
In March 2016, it was announced that a new, small-format Bunnings store would open in the first half of 2017[8] in BI-LO/Coles old position.[9]
In May 2016, the centre was acquired by Mirvac.[10] Mirvac's short-term plan for the centre included improvements to the car parks, convenience, and the enhancement of the retail offering to better align with changing demographics. Medium- to long-term plans included the potential to deliver a new entertainment offering and dining precinct.[11]
In November 2019, Upstairs Toombul opened, which was a 4500-square-metre dining precinct situated on level 2, where the foodcourt and Lincraft outlet had been located, anchored by an Archie Brothers and over 12 new dining establishments. The opening coincided with other upgrades around the centre, including a Fashion mall, a Kmart Mall, a food court, and a fresh food market, as well as introduction of many new tenancies.[citation needed] On 15 August 2021, Bunnings closed its small-format store.
On 27 February 2022, during the 2022 Brisbane floods, torrential rain fell for three consecutive days over south-east Queensland, and the entire precinct was inundated.[12] The shopping centre closed due to the flooding, and no date was given for its reopening.[13] In May 2022, following an inspection of the damage, it was determined that the centre would not be safe to reopen, due to the extent of the damage to the building's structural integrity. As a result, Mirvac announced that all leases were to be terminated, due to the extent of the flood damage, as well as the high vacancy rate in the shopping centre.[14]
The Brisbane Times revealed that state MP, Tim Nicholls, had met Mirvac senior management in August 2022. This led to Mirvac saying it would allow the community to have a say in several months, after it made a decision over the future of the site".[15] In that article, Nicholls was quoted as saying that there was a need for a "substantial retail component", because the inner Northside was "not serviced by a decent-sized shopping centre from the CBD until Chermside".
On 15 September 2022, the 4BC Breakfast Show with Neil Breen confirmed that retail space would be rebuilt on the site, whereas Mirvac had previously said it would be considered.[16] The development would also include public open space and flood mitigation strategies. It was to go out to public consultation in the coming months, after considerable public pressure. Complete demolition of the site began in February 2024, expected to take 12 months, and planning for the long-term future is underway.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ "Flood-hit retailers at major Brisbane shopping centre have leases terminated". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Demolition". Toombul Renewal. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
- ^ Robertson, Josh (8 August 2008). "Toombul Shoppingtown far away from flagship past". The Courier-Mail (1 - First with the news ed.). The Courier Mail. p. 14. Archived from the original on 17 September 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
- ^ "Centro crisis after $345m US write-down". The Australian. 21 August 2008. Archived from the original on 22 August 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
- ^ "David Jones terminates another lease". Australian Associated Press. 20 July 2010. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
- ^ http://cfd.net.au/home/article/target-replaces-david-jones-at-toombul-shopping-centre-20100720-63735.html[dead link]
- ^ "Soon we will have a new name and brand". Federation Limited. 20 October 2012. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
- ^ "Mirvac Acquires Toombul Shopping Centre, Brisbane". Mirvac. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
- ^ "Shopping centre a novelty for Bunnings". Northside Chronicle (Northside ed.). 30 March 2016. p. 4. Archived from the original on 10 March 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
- ^ "Mirvac Acquires Toombul Shopping Centre". Mirvac. 9 May 2016. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
- ^ "Mirvac Retail - Mirvac acquires Toombul Shopping Centre, Brisbane". www.mirvacretail.com.au. Archived from the original on 19 December 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2016.
- ^ Nally, Alicia; Ryan, Loretta. "Toombul shopping centre closed for up to six months as flood damage assessed". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ Nally, Alicia; Ryan, Loretta (10 March 2022). "Brisbane shopping centre could take six months to reopen". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ "Flood-hit retailers at major Brisbane shopping centre have leases terminated". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 18 May 2022. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
- ^ Moore, Tony (8 September 2022). "Shelved? Mirvac to confirm Toombul's future as shoppers call for reopening". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "Retail space to return to Toombul Shopping Centre after floods ravaged the centre - Brisbane Live with Neil Breen". omny.fm. Retrieved 28 September 2022.