Westfield Newmarket: Stores, getting there, hours and parking at Auckland's newest mall

Monday, 26 August 2019

NZ's biggest mall Westfield Newmarket will open on August 29.

New Zealand's largest shopping centre Westfield Newmarket is set to open on August 29. Here's everything you need to know about the central Auckland mall.

With more than 200 stores sprawled across two three-storey buildings connected by a 'sky bridge', Westfield Newmarket in central Auckland has broken several retail records.

The mall has been closed for two years to undergo a $790 million face lift.

It will open in four stages with the first 40 of its 230 shops – including Farmers, Chemist Warehouse and Australian furniture brand Coco Republic's first New Zealand store – opening their doors at 9am on Thursday.

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The mall, which is owned by Australian property company Scentre Group, has been under construction for two years and will open in three stages before the end of the year.

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Visitors will have 12 hours to shop 'till they drop as the mall will be open until 9pm on Thursday.

The refurbishment has cost nearly four times as much as the construction of Westfield Albany, which opened on the North Shore in 2007.

WHAT TO EXPECT

As well as being home to Auckland's first rooftop bar and dining area within a shopping centre, Westfield Newmarket will house Auckland's first David Jones store.

However, the much-anticipated department store will not be part of the initial launch. Instead it will open, along with several other Australian retailers, during the next few months. There will also be a gym.

The entire mall is expected to be open by Christmas.

According to its website, Westfield Newmarket has been designed with sustainability in mind.

The mall was built using recycled materials and will have living green walls, many recycling bins and a coffee cup recycling programme.

WHAT'S ON

The mall will open at 9am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and at 10am on Sunday. The shops close at 9pm Thursday and Friday and 7pm Saturday and Sunday.

Throughout the weekend, there will be free glasses of bubbles, mocktails, coffees and sweet treats to keep customers sustained.

Early birds will be welcomed with a Māori cultural performance by Ngā Puna o Waiōrea/Western Springs College from 9.10am on Thursday.

An artist's impression of Westfield Newmarket at night.

Kids' entertainers will be roaming the mall from Thursday until Sunday and there will be other live music performances too.

Some stores will have special offers.

JUST HOW BIG?

The mall will boast about 10 more stores than Sylvia Park, which is currently the second largest mall in the country after Hamilton's The Base.

What Westfield Newmarket is expected to look like once it's finished.

The buildings measure 88,150sqm in total. They sit on a 4.5 hectare site.

By comparison, The Base in Hamilton is 85,000sqm on 29 hectares.

GETTING THERE

The mall will boast about 2700 parking spaces when it's finished and, eventually, a valet parking service.

The main carpark, which will be open this weekend, can be accessed through Mortimer Pass or Clovernook Rd.

Customers who download the Westfield Plus app can get two hours of free parking. Shoppers can also use the app to pay by credit card and skip the queue at the payment machine.

The basement carpark is also where taxis and Uber drivers should drop off customers.

But for Thursday's opening and during the first weekend, Auckland Transport (AT) recommends shoppers take public transport to make their trip less stressful.

The western, southern and Onehunga train lines stop at Newmarket station, which is about 300m from the shopping centre on the opposite side of Broadway.

Several bus services – including the Inner and Outer link – also stop nearby.

Commuters can plan their trip using the Journey Planner tool on AT's website.

LAYOUT

The ground floor will have Coco Republic, Under Armour and Ika Bowl. The help desk is located by the front entrance on the corner of Broadway and Mortimer Pass.

Chemist Warehouse, Hannahs, Bras N Things and Dangerfield are on the second storey. That's also where the parents' room can be found.

Farmers has entrances on the first and second levels.

Torpedo7, Kathmandu, Rebel Sport, EB Games, a kids' play area and multiple restaurants and cafes, including Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq, will be on the third level.

The full map is available on Westfield's website.