Epping plaza
Encyclopedia
Epping Plaza is a shopping centre in Epping, Victoria
, a suburb of Melbourne
, Australia
. It opened in May 1996. It is located on the corner of High Street and Cooper Street, 500 m away from Epping railway station, Melbourne
, and approximately 21 km north of the Melbourne CBD.
In mid 2007, Epping Plaza underwent major extension and the total number of stores grew to 218. Epping Plaza's layout is extremely spacious (especially the new extension area); all stores are spread out on one floor, only the cinemas are located on the second floor. Epping Plaza is now one of the major shopping centres in the north of Melbourne. Epping's Homemaker Centre is also located directly across the road on High Street.
Further development of the centre was completed in 2009 with the extension and refurbishment of the Fresh Food Hall now titled "Hunter & Gatherer". The area north of Hunter & Gatherer was also refurbished at this time.
Stage 4 is set to add 14 restaurants and cafés in a street-style setting on the cooper St side of Epping Plaza also a bowling centre and gymnasium will be constructed, Reading cinemas are also planning to add 2 gold class style auditoriums to the existing cinemas. (9)
On 3 December 2008 shoppers and staff at the shopping centre were evacuated after a wall fell five metres inside Big W’s garden centre. Police initially feared Big W’s northern wall, which was attached to the fallen one, could also collapse, adding "It was an absolute miracle no one died’’. The collapse caused Big W, surrounding stores and part of the underground car park to be evacuated and the Big W entrance to the centre to be closed off. It is thought that a burst pipe may have caused the collapse. No one was injured. Police praised the actions of the staff of Big W Epping and Epping Plaza.
One of the first cases of swine flu in Australia unconnected with foreign travel were detected at Epping Plaza. A staff member at Mcdonalds,was diagnosed with swine flu virus, the Mcdonalds branch was immediately closed.
Epping, Victoria
Epping is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 22 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whittlesea...
, a suburb of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It opened in May 1996. It is located on the corner of High Street and Cooper Street, 500 m away from Epping railway station, Melbourne
Epping railway station, Melbourne
Epping is a railway station in Melbourne, Australia, located in the suburb of Epping, on the Epping railway line. Classed as a Premium Station, it is in Metcard Zone 2...
, and approximately 21 km north of the Melbourne CBD.
In mid 2007, Epping Plaza underwent major extension and the total number of stores grew to 218. Epping Plaza's layout is extremely spacious (especially the new extension area); all stores are spread out on one floor, only the cinemas are located on the second floor. Epping Plaza is now one of the major shopping centres in the north of Melbourne. Epping's Homemaker Centre is also located directly across the road on High Street.
Further development of the centre was completed in 2009 with the extension and refurbishment of the Fresh Food Hall now titled "Hunter & Gatherer". The area north of Hunter & Gatherer was also refurbished at this time.
Stage 4 is set to add 14 restaurants and cafés in a street-style setting on the cooper St side of Epping Plaza also a bowling centre and gymnasium will be constructed, Reading cinemas are also planning to add 2 gold class style auditoriums to the existing cinemas. (9)
Major shops
- Big WBig WBig W is one of the largest chain of discount department stores in Australia, with over 150 stores. It is a division of Woolworths Limited, the second largest retailer in Australia. Its main competitors are Kmart and Target, both owned by Wesfarmers....
7,400m2 - Safeway (Woolworths)Safeway (Australia)Safeway was the trading name used by Woolworths Limited until 2008 for its supermarkets in Victoria, Australia. Elsewhere in Australia the trading name is Woolworths. In August 2008, Woolworths announced the discontinuation of the Safeway name, and has since gradually rebranded Victorian stores as...
formally called Rainbow 9 Aisles - ColesColes SupermarketsColes Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741...
13 Aisles - TargetTarget (Australia)Target Australia Pty Ltd is an Australian department store chain owned by Wesfarmers . It operates 172 Target stores and 119 Target Country stores making 291 combined stores with its head office located in North Geelong, Victoria. It sells clothing, cosmetics, toys, homewares, electrical and...
- Harris ScarfeHarris ScarfeHarris Scarfe Department Stores was founded in Adelaide, South Australia in 1849. At its peak, Adelaide was home to several major South Australian department stores , of which Harris Scarfe is the sole...
- AldiALDIALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG, doing business as ', short for "Albrecht Discount", is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany...
- Reading Cinemas
- The Reject ShopThe Reject ShopThe Reject Shop is an Australian discount variety store chain. Founded in 1981 as a "seconds" store in South Yarra, Victoria, the company currently operates over 190 stores in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Western Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and Australian Capital Territory...
- JB Hi-FiJB Hi-FiJB Hi-Fi is an Australian CD, DVD, Blu-ray disc, video game and consumer electronics chain store.-History:JB Hi-Fi was established in Melbourne suburb of Keilor East by John Barbuto in 1974...
- Best and LessBest and LessBest & Less Pty Ltd is an Australian retailer of clothing and household linens.-History:Best & Less was founded by Berel Ginges, and opened its first store in Mascot, New South Wales on 27 May 1965.In April 1998, Best & Less was acquired by Pepkor...
- Dick Smith ElectronicsDick Smith ElectronicsDick Smith is an international electronics retailer, founded in 1968 by Richard "Dick" Smith. Today, it is a subsidiary of Woolworths Limited, incorporating Tandy, and the remaining Dick Smith Powerhouse Stores...
- Dan Murphy'sDan Murphy'sDan Murphy's is an Australian big box liquor supermarket chain owned by Woolworths Limited, who also owns BWS, another liquor chain with smaller stores.-History:...
- EB Games
Popular food outlets
Epping plaza has two food courts with the second having been added during the mid 2007 extension. Along with the two food courts, Epping Plaza has six restaurants located just outside the centre.- 2x KFCKFCKFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
(One is located in the second food court, the other outside) - Subway (Second food court)
- Muffin Break (Second food court)
- Wendy's (First food court)
- 2x Donut KingDonut KingDonut King is Australia's biggest doughnut franchise, based in Southport, Queensland.-History:The Donut King chain was founded in 1981 in Sydney, and is currently managed, under license, by the Southport-based Retail Food Group Limited...
(One in first food court, the other in the second) - Hungry Jack'sHungry Jack'sHungry Jack's Pty Ltd, often colloquially abbreviated to HJ's, Hungry's or Hungie's, is the exclusive Australian master fast food franchisee of Burger King Corporation. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Competitive Foods Australia, a privately held company owned by Jack Cowin...
(Located outside) - Gloria Jean's Coffees (Second food court)
- T.G.I. Friday'sT.G.I. Friday'sT.G.I. Friday's is an American restaurant chain focusing on casual dining. The company is a unit of the Carlson Companies. Its name is taken from the expression TGIF...
(Located outside) - Jamaica Blue Cafe (Located opposite to Target )
- New Zealand Ice Cream (Located near Safeway)
- Goldies Coffee House (Located Near Big W entrance)
Incidents
On 3 October 2006 a small fire broke out in cinema six of Reading cinemas forcing the evacuation 40 people. Water from fire sprinklers trigged by the blaze also caused damage to a Harris Scarf department store located below the cinema. Police believe the blaze was deliberately lit.On 3 December 2008 shoppers and staff at the shopping centre were evacuated after a wall fell five metres inside Big W’s garden centre. Police initially feared Big W’s northern wall, which was attached to the fallen one, could also collapse, adding "It was an absolute miracle no one died’’. The collapse caused Big W, surrounding stores and part of the underground car park to be evacuated and the Big W entrance to the centre to be closed off. It is thought that a burst pipe may have caused the collapse. No one was injured. Police praised the actions of the staff of Big W Epping and Epping Plaza.
One of the first cases of swine flu in Australia unconnected with foreign travel were detected at Epping Plaza. A staff member at Mcdonalds,was diagnosed with swine flu virus, the Mcdonalds branch was immediately closed.