Westfield Doncaster
Encyclopedia
Westfield Doncaster is a shopping centre 50% owned by the Westfield Group and 50% owned by LaSalle Investment Management
LaSalle Investment Management
LaSalle Investment Management is a investment management firm specializing in real estate. The firm is unique within the industry in that it invests solely in real estate and no other asset class....

 (as of August 2007) located in Doncaster
Doncaster, Victoria
Doncaster is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 15 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Manningham. At the 2006 Census, Doncaster had a population of 17,879....

, 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...

, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, 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 is located on the corner of Williamsons Road and Doncaster Road in the Doncaster Hill
Doncaster Hill
Doncaster Hill is one of the highest points in the metropolitan area of Melbourne, Australia. Located in the suburb of Doncaster, it is 120 metres above sea level and has uninterrupted views of the city, Port Phillip, Macedon Ranges, the You Yang Ranges and Dandenong Ranges...

 precinct, an ongoing planning initiative by the local Manningham council
City of Manningham
The City of Manningham is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the northeastern suburbs of Melbourne. The total population is 118,544 , divided up into 10 suburbs, the largest being Doncaster and Templestowe, over an area of 113 square kilometres.The district spans a...

. It is located 20 minutes east of the CBD and is one of the biggest shopping centres in Victoria.

History

Westfield Doncaster officially opened on 30 September 1969. It was Westfield's first entry to Victoria. The original $12-million centre consisted of the four storey Myer building at the north end, two levels of shops running along the west side to the, then white, eight-storey office tower. On the east side the two layers of shops merged into one layer, then finished at a Coles New World supermarket. The first Coles store was where Esprit is, and Waltons department store was where the first food court later opened but closed due to the 2007-08 upgrade.

In 1979 the centre was extended south with two single-storey rows of shops, Kmart, Coles and Village Twin Cinemas. A major redevelopment completed in 1993 saw the centre expand further. A second level of shops was added to the south end including Franklins and a fresh food court above Coles and Kmart. Outside, the colours were a jarring Californian design and local protests saw Westfield alter the image in line with local tastes. However, as the 21st century arrived, time had dulled the looks of the centre following redevelopments of other Westfield centres such as Southland, Fountain Gate
Westfield Fountain Gate
Westfield Fountain Gate is a super regional shopping centre located in Narre Warren in the outer south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia...

 and even Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

's Bondi Junction
Westfield Bondi Junction
Westfield Bondi Junction is a large, upmarket shopping centre located in the suburb of Bondi Junction in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.The six-level complex, notable for its modern structure and retail mix, has several anchor tenants including David Jones and Myer department stores, Coles and...

.

The latest revitalisation, which started in January 2007, after years of applying for a permit, saw the centre undergo a full makeover. It involved an overall modernisation of the centre, renovated Coles and Safeway supermarkets plus a Fresh Food market (Colonial Fresh Markets), new Big-W and Target (replacing K-Mart), refurbished Myer, new David Jones, a Borders store , many new mini majors such as JB Hi-Fi, Dick Smith Electronics, a larger 9 screen Village Cinemas, dubbed "Our World's Best Cinema" by Village, a black label Fitness First Gym which replaced the old Donacster library, now located in Precinct One, a new food court known as the Drum located on the corner of Williamsons and Doncaster Roads which has sweeping views of Melbourne, new restaurants on the rooftop level, a new bus interchange and over 1500 extra parking spaces, mostly undercover, in a new 6 level parking lot with an LED system indicating free spaces. This unfortunately for Doncaster residents showed the start of paid parking, but at a very low price (first 3 hours free). The number of stores was doubled to 400, which makes it the 5th biggest shopping centre in Australia and 3rd biggest in Victoria in terms of stores. It also made the centre the 10th biggest shopping centre in Australia and 4th biggest in Victoria according to gross lettable area. It was finished on 16 October 2008.

2007-08 redevelopment


The third major redevelopment of Westfield Doncaster started with planning approval in May 2004, preliminary works taking place at the centre from September to December 2006, which provided a platform for the main construction works that commenced on 15 January 2007. Doncaster Hill developers met several times with City Council over the next twelve months to discuss creating more sustainable buildings for the community, however little became of the idea of a self-sustaining precinct. It is uncertain whether the wind turbines used at the Manningham Civic Precinct are suitable for powering other buildings. The upgrade was finally completed in October 2008 with the centre doubling the previous size, costing A$650 million.

The new Westfield Doncaster now features more than 200 new retailers (for a total around 400), a Village Cinemas complex and dining areas that take advantage of the site’s elevated views towards the city skyline. The works required the closure of around 100 stores during 2007 and early 2008, with Myer the only major store remaining open throughout the project, except for a short period when the store itself was refurbished.
Comparison table
Before After
Number of shops 202 400
Major stores Myer
Coles
Kmart (Now Target)
Safeway(Now Woolworths)
Village 2 Cinemas

Myer
David Jones
Woolworths(Formerly Safeway)
Coles
Target (Formerly Kmart)
Big W
Colonial Fresh Markets
Village 9 Cinemas
Borders
Fitness First Platinum
JB Hi-fi
Dick Smith Electronics
Apple Store
Toys r Us/Babies R Us
Car park spaces 3,480 5,000
Retail space
(gross lettable area)
51,000m² 120,000m²

Due to the revitalisation, Kmart shut down and was replaced by two new discount stores - Big W and Target. Coles and Safeway both closed in January 2007 and both supermarkets re-opened on Thursday 10 April 2008. Target and Big W were both expected to open on 18 June 2008, however both these openings were pushed back to Thursday 7 August 2008. The Village Twin Cinemas on Williamsons Road were demolished in September 2006 to make way for a multi-level car park, now open, with new cinemas to open above. The Westfield Shoppingtown Library was also demolished and moved to a temporary location in the Municipal Offices. Since then, the Manningham council has decided to permanently relocate it to the council's civic precinct (Precinct One) rather than return it to Westfield Doncaster.

Arrivals included a new David Jones department store, a Big W
Big W
Big 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....

 discount department store and the new Target store - all in the second half of 2008. Other features include new electrical stores, Dick Smith Electronics
Dick Smith Electronics
Dick 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...

 and JB Hi-Fi, which are both now open, expanded dining areas including rooftop restaurants and gourmet fresh food shops. The new Village Cinemas complex on the rooftop level includes Gold Class cinemas. The centre now has improved access, mostly undercover parking and new landscaping.

On 10 April 2008 the first stage opening saw a much-larger Coles supermarket (latest format) and Safeway supermarket (2010 store format including self-serve checkouts) return to their old locations at the south (Doncaster Rd) end, alongside 70-plus other new and returning retailers, including a large-format Colonial Fresh Markets, which opened next to Coles. Some retailers are opening their first stores, including Jones The Grocer, which opened its first Melbourne store, OxFam opening its first food store and That Store. Many other stores have relocated to the new precinct or to other positions in the centre and stores that were gone throughout the revitalisation have returned.

Westfield Doncaster also introduced a new service called Westfield Butler. This service is for people who don't have the time to do shopping themselves. A group of six butlers will do different tasks, from grocery shopping, to planning weddings or functions. And you can get delivery. Unfortunately, the service does not come cheap, you will be charged 20 percent of the total cost or 10 dollars a delivery. Another new service recently started is Westfield Gizmo. It is a technology service that offers customers a technology installation, upgrade or maintenance service. These "gizmotechs" can arrange to come to your home or you can let them go around the centre with you finding the hardware that suits you. Prices are fixed, but are quite high.

Big W opened on the second floor on 7 August at the east side of the centre near where David Jones opened in October, to the east of Myer. Underneath the Big W location, the new Target store opened on the 1st level. 25 other stores also opened in this third stage opening. Most previous food court operators closed in late January 2007. The new dining area, named 'The Drum', with over 900-seat capacity, opened on 26 June 2008 in a new location overlooking the corner of Doncaster and Williamsons Rds. It features 18 new food stores with different types of foods. The Fitness First Platinum gym also opened on 14 August, one week after the stage 3 opening of Big W and Target.

In February 2008 a temporary bus interchange opened closer to Willamsons Road. This was to make way for changes to the centre entrance and an upgraded bus interchange. The new bus interchange has been mostly finished.

The revitalisation of Westfield Doncaster is now complete, with the last stage opened on 16 October. In this last stage, David Jones opened next to Myer, which reopened after a major refurbishment, the dining precinct on the rooftop level, a larger Village Cinemas opened above the Williamsons Road multideck carpark to replace the twin cinemas and the final carpark area next to David Jones opened. The new Village
Village Cinemas
Village Cinemas is an Australian cinema chain. Its Australian sites are owned and operated by Village Roadshow-Amalgamated Holdings Limited joint venture Australian Theatres. The group has rebranded several of its premier Australian and New Zealand cinemas as Event Cinemas since 2009. Village...

 complex features a total of nine auditoriums incorporating three Gold Class cinemas, one huge 22m Vmax screen featuring stadium seating and Dolby Digital surround sound, and one Europa cinema dedicated to fine film; offering a total of 1,755 seats. A new, two-level Borders
Borders Group
Borders Group, Inc. was an international book and music retailer based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company employed approximately 19,500 throughout the U.S., primarily in its Borders and Waldenbooks stores....

 store also opened at Westfield Doncaster on 4 December. The corner of Williamsons Road and Doncaster Road is complete with the signature glass drum and the red "wave wall" also done. Painting of the Myer Building and the Office Tower also have given these buildings a more modern look to match the rest of the revamped centre. Modernisation of the western entrances to the centre wave also been completed. The current interior is also completed with most of the inside of the centre getting new marble tiling, seating, more modern balustrades and supports, directories, escalators, lighting and other fittings.

Retailers and layout

The shopping centre is now a rectangular-shaped building, with two lines of shops linked at three points, with two individual levels that span the length of the complex. Major retailers were previously located on either end of the centre, but now are located in various locations.These retailers include:

Majors
  • Myer
    Myer
    Myer is Australia's largest department store chain, retailing a broad range of merchandise including women's, men's and children's clothing, footwear and accessories; cosmetics and fragrance; homewares; electrical; furniture and bedding; toys; books and stationery; food and confectionery; and...

     Department Store
  • David Jones
    David Jones Limited
    David Jones Limited , colloquially known as DJs, is a high-end Australian department store chain.David Jones was founded in 1838 by David Jones, a Welsh immigrant, and is claimed to be the oldest continuously operating department store in the world still trading under its original name. It...

     Department Store
  • Woolworths Supermarket used to have 11 aisles but now has 16 aisles.
  • Coles
    Coles Supermarkets
    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 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741...

     Supermarket used to have 10 aisles but the new one has 16 aisles.
  • Colonial Fresh Markets Fresh Produce Store
  • Target
    Target (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...

     Discount Department Store 8,000m2
  • Big W
    Big W
    Big 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....

     Discount Department Store 9,200m2
  • Village Cinemas
    Village Cinemas
    Village Cinemas is an Australian cinema chain. Its Australian sites are owned and operated by Village Roadshow-Amalgamated Holdings Limited joint venture Australian Theatres. The group has rebranded several of its premier Australian and New Zealand cinemas as Event Cinemas since 2009. Village...

     Cinemas (including Gold Class, Cinema Europa & VMax)
  • Fitness First Platinum
    Fitness First
    Fitness First is the largest privately owned health club group in the world with over 540 Fitness First clubs worldwide reaching over 1.7 million members in 21 countries...

     Gym


Mini Majors
  • JB Hi-Fi
    JB Hi-Fi
    JB 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...

     Electrical
  • Dick Smith Electronics
    Dick Smith Electronics
    Dick 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...

     Electrical
  • Apple Store Electrical
  • Toys R Us & Babies R Us Toy & Baby Store


Luxury Stores http://westfield.com.au/doncaster/stores/
  • Hugo Boss
    Hugo Boss
    Hugo Ferdinand Boss was the founder of clothing company Hugo Boss.-Early life:Boss was born in Metzingen, Germany. After completing his apprenticeship and one year of employment, he founded his own company in Metzingen in 1923.-Support of Nazism:Boss joined the Nazi Party in 1931, two years before...

  • Zimmermann
    Zimmermann
    Zimmermann is a German surname and the occupational name in German for a carpenter. As a surname, it is often confused with Zimmerman; the variance "nn" or "n" may have a number of implications: racial, ethnic and religious among them. As an occupational name, it derives from the Middle High German...

  • Sass and Bide
    Sass and Bide
    sass & bide is one of Australia's most prominent international and contemporary street- and pop culture-inspired women’s fashion labels. The label is known best as being worn by Sex And The City lead actress, Sarah Jessica Parker and, in more recent times, Madonna and Beyonce.-History:The label was...

  • Oroton
    Oroton
    Oroton is an Australian luxury fashion accessories company known for its leather handbags. Oroton is owned by the OrotonGroup which is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and has held the license for the Polo Ralph Lauren in Australia and New Zealand for 2 decades. .-History:Oroton was...

  • Karen Millen
    Karen Millen
    Karen Millen is an Icelandic owned women’s designer clothing brand, specialising in tailoring, coats and eveningwear. Karen Millen stores are found throughout the United Kingdom, America, Austria, Denmark, the Republic of Ireland and many other European countries.-History:The company was founded in...


Public transport

Doncaster Shoppingtown only has bus for public transport. The bus interchange off Williamsons Road acts as a major hub for transport activity in the Doncaster
Doncaster, Victoria
Doncaster is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 15 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Manningham. At the 2006 Census, Doncaster had a population of 17,879....

 district. Situated between two rail lines, the only public transport to Westfield Doncaster is bus services.

Throughout the 1970s the Doncaster line
Doncaster railway line, Melbourne
The Doncaster railway line is a proposed suburban railway in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Connecting to the existing Melbourne metro railway network at Victoria Park station on the Epping and Hurstbridge lines; the Doncaster line would have served the suburbs of Bulleen,...

 was mooted to run down the middle of the Eastern Freeway, with a station at Westfield Doncaster. By 1984 land for the line once it left the freeway had been sold, and by 1991 an independent report investigating construction of the line recommended against it due to the high cost of underground construction. Various plans have also been made for extension of the Balwyn North
Balwyn North, Victoria
Balwyn North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara...

 route 48
Melbourne tram route 48
Tram route 48 is a public transport service in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It runs from Victoria Harbour, Docklands to North Balwyn via Collins Street, Spring Street, Wellington Parade and Bridge Road...

 tram north to Doncaster.
A recent report released by pt4me2 (a local group pushing for rail transit in Manningham) suggests a $5 billion dollar budget for the public transport to make all train services run every 10 minutes and introduce a Doncaster rail line, branching off from Clifton Hill.

See also

  • List of shopping centres in Australia
  • Proposed Melbourne rail extensions
  • Doncaster, Victoria
    Doncaster, Victoria
    Doncaster is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 15 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Manningham. At the 2006 Census, Doncaster had a population of 17,879....

  • Westfield Group

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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