Westfield St Lukes

Westfield St Lukes is a large shopping centre on St Lukes Road in the Auckland suburb of St Lukes, within Mount Albert, New Zealand. It is regarded as one of the three major shopping centres serving Auckland's western suburbs and is among the country's older purpose-built malls. The centre opened on 22 September 1971, attracting approximately 100,000 visitors on its first day, and has since developed into a broad retail, grocery, dining, entertainment and services destination. The centre's tenant mix has included major New Zealand and international retail operators. Key anchor and destination businesses identified in reference material include Farmers, Kmart, Woolworths and Event Cinemas, whose eight-screen cinema complex adds an entertainment component to the predominantly retail offer. More than 160 shops have operated at the centre, covering department-store merchandise, general retail, groceries, fashion, food and beverage, household goods and personal services. The centre's gross floor area was reported at approximately 43,000 square metres in 2002, while its car park provides about 2,018 spaces. Westfield undertook an investment programme of approximately NZ$55 million in the early 2000s to extend and refurbish the complex. That work strengthened the centre's position as a regional destination and supported its combination of large-format anchors, specialty stores and leisure uses. The mall is also integrated into Auckland's public-transport network. OuterLink, 64 and 65 buses stop on St Lukes Road, while routes 20, 22N and 22R serve nearby Morningside Drive. Morningside is the closest railway station. In a 2008 assessment of New Zealand shopping centres, the centre received three and a half stars out of a possible four. The assessment considered factors including shopping-area scale, economic performance, amenities, customer appeal and future development prospects. Reference material reports approximately six million shopper visits annually, indicating its importance in the western Auckland retail catchment. Full-year sales were reported as NZ$363.1 million for 2018; that figure is historical and is not presented as current performance. Westfield St Lukes has also been the subject of substantial expansion planning. In 2009, Westfield sought a district-plan change that would have permitted expansion to as much as 92,500 square metres, including up to 77,500 square metres of retail and cafe space and 15,000 square metres of offices, with buildings reaching six storeys. The proposal would have made the complex larger than any other shopping centre in New Zealand at the time. Some nearby residents and community groups indicated that they would oppose the plan, chiefly because of anticipated traffic and transport effects. The expansion proposal is therefore an important part of the centre's planning history, although the supplied sources do not establish that the full scheme was completed.

Westfield St Lukes opened on 22 September 1971 on St Lukes Road in Auckland's western suburbs. Its opening established a substantial modern retail destination for the area, and approximately 100,000 people reportedly visited on the first day. The centre became one of the older major shopping complexes in New Zealand and developed a role extending beyond its immediate St Lukes and Mount Albert neighbourhoods. Over subsequent decades, the complex expanded its retail and leisure offer. Its tenant profile came to include large anchor operators such as Farmers, Kmart and Woolworths, alongside more than 160 specialty stores. Event Cinemas added an eight-screen cinema complex, helping position the property as an all-day destination rather than only a shopping facility. By the early 2000s, the centre had a reported gross floor area of about 43,000 square metres. Westfield invested approximately NZ$55 million in an extension and refurbishment programme during the early 2000s. The investment modernised and enlarged the centre and supported its competitive position within Auckland's western-suburbs retail market. The property also retained a strong transport role, with multiple bus routes serving stops outside or close to the mall and Morningside identified as the nearest railway station. Its car park has about 2,018 spaces. A 2008 review by a retail-expert group awarded Westfield St Lukes three and a half stars out of four. The evaluation considered the amount of shopping space, economic performance, amenities, customer appeal and prospects for future growth. The rating placed the centre close to the top of the reviewed New Zealand shopping-centre market. Reference material also reports around six million shopper visits annually, illustrating the scale of its customer base. In 2009, Westfield pursued a further development opportunity through an application to change the relevant district plan. The proposed framework would have allowed the centre to grow to as much as 92,500 square metres, with up to 77,500 square metres allocated to shops and cafes and 15,000 square metres to offices. Buildings could have reached six storeys. Westfield already controlled much of the land to the north of the existing centre and intended to use that area for expansion. The scale of the proposal would have made the centre larger than any other shopping centre in New Zealand at the time. Neighbours and community organisations indicated that they would contest the proposal, mainly because of concerns about increased traffic. The available reference material does not confirm that the complete proposed expansion was ultimately delivered. The centre remained an important western Auckland retail property into the late 2010s. Reported full-year sales for 2018 were NZ$363.1 million. That number is a historical reported figure rather than a current valuation or performance measure. The supplied references identify the property with the Westfield brand and Westfield Corporation, but do not provide enough information to document a current owner, current management team or later redevelopment outcome with certainty.

• 2018

  Reported annual sales

  [1]Westfield St Lukesen.wikipedia.org

  Full-year sales were reported at NZ$363.1 million.

• 2009

  Expansion and district-plan proposal

  [1]Westfield St Lukesen.wikipedia.org

  Westfield sought planning permission for a large-scale expansion to 92,500 square metres, prompting opposition focused largely on traffic impacts.

• 2008

  Receives three-and-a-half-star shopping-centre rating

  [1]Westfield St Lukesen.wikipedia.org

  A New Zealand shopping-centre assessment awarded the property three and a half stars out of four.

• 2002

  Reported gross floor area

  [1]Westfield St Lukesen.wikipedia.org

  Reference material reported a gross floor area of approximately 43,000 square metres.

• 2000

  Major extension and refurbishment programme

  [1]Westfield St Lukesen.wikipedia.org

  During the early 2000s, Westfield invested approximately NZ$55 million in extending and renovating the centre.

• 1971

  Centre opens

  [1]Westfield St Lukesen.wikipedia.org

  Westfield St Lukes opened on 22 September, with approximately 100,000 visitors reported on its first day.

A large regional shopping and entertainment centre serving western Auckland, combining major anchor stores, specialty retail, groceries, food and beverage, cinema entertainment and convenient bus and car access.

• Shopping-centre retail · 1971

  Retail and specialty shopping

  The centre provides a broad collection of specialty retail units serving western Auckland. The reported tenant mix spans fashion, accessories, general merchandise, household goods, personal services and food and beverage. More than 160 shops have operated at the complex, supported by major anchor tenants that create regular destination traffic.

• Department store and general merchandise

  Anchor stores

  Farmers, Kmart and Woolworths are identified as key large-format tenants. Together they provide department-store merchandise, general merchandise and supermarket groceries, giving the centre a mix of discretionary and everyday shopping purposes.

• Cinema and entertainment

  Event Cinemas

  The centre includes an Event Cinemas eight-screen cinema complex. This entertainment component complements the retail offer and supports evening and leisure visits.

• Shopping-centre infrastructure · 1971

  Transport and parking facilities

  Westfield St Lukes is served by several Auckland bus routes, including OuterLink, 64 and 65 on St Lukes Road and routes 20, 22N and 22R near Morningside Drive. The centre's car park provides approximately 2,018 spaces, supporting access from the wider metropolitan catchment.

• 2009

  Seek planning approval for large-scale expansionStrategy

  Background

  Westfield sought additional development capacity for a mature regional shopping centre serving a large western Auckland catchment.

  Action taken

  The company applied for a district-plan change that would have permitted up to 92,500 square metres of total development, including retail, cafes and offices, with buildings of up to six storeys.

  Aftermath

  Some neighbours and community groups said they would oppose the proposal, principally because of expected traffic effects. The supplied sources do not establish whether the full proposal was approved or completed.

  Source

1. 1Westfield St Lukesen.wikipedia.org