Stage 2 of the Richmond Mall Reimagined project is moving at pace, with the milestone of deconstructing the old food court between Farmers and PAK’nSAVE recently reached.
Richmond Mall Reimagined is a multi-stage renewal of the entire shopping centre, designed to turn the mall into a modern retail and lifestyle destination for the region. It is the most significant reinvention in the mall’s 50-year history and aims to realise the vision of being “the region’s best destination for lifestyle, retail and community connection”.
Stage 1 was completed in November, with eight new stores joining the more than 50 existing businesses already operating at the mall. The larger next stage of the project, on the PAK’nSAVE side of the mall, began at the end of last year.
Mall owner Tinline Property chief executive, Jamie Gaskell, says belief in the region is at the heart of the project.
“We fundamentally believe in the growth of the region. It’s a region to invest in, we all live here and our family business is based here, so for us it’s about investing in the long-term growth of the region.
“We’ve got a pretty strong conviction around the vision, and so we've been really focused on what we're going to do.
“People can see right through from the north-west to the south-east, but not for long. The foundations for the PAK’nSAVE extension are already being constructed, as are the foundations for the walls of the new larger part of the mall, which will ultimately be the home of new fashion and lifestyle brands and the exciting new dining destination. The roof is due to go up in April, and then the concrete flooring will go down,” he says.
Jamie says that some carparks are being cordoned off for safety as the construction team moves around the site.
“We thank everyone for their patience as the parks are reconfigured as works progress. The carparking at the side of the Stage 1 entrance will be re-established this month, with two extra disability parks also added.
“One of our construction programme priorities is to establish internal access for customers between the completed Stage 1 shops and PAK’nSAVE. We know this is important to our customers, so we will work hard for this to happen by the middle of the year,” he says.
Richmond Mall manager Belinda de Clercq says Christmas at the mall was magical as locals and visitors enjoyed the newly-renovated Stage 1 area.
“It really gives our community a taste of what Richmond Mall Reimagined will look and feel like when it is finished, a teaser of the look, feel, and exciting brands that will be part of Stage 2.”
Belinda also confirmed the return of a customer favourite, Muffin Break.
“The mall’s been here for generations so we’re really excited to deliver what the next generation of Richmond Mall is going to do,” Jamie adds.
Meanwhile, the mall is running a Spend $20 and Win promotion, giving shoppers the chance to win one of two e-bikes. The promotion runs until 29 March, with winners announced just before Easter.
