Auckland's new megamall opens its first stage to eager shoppers

Thursday, 29 August 2019

The $790 million Newmarket mall has opened its first stage after 18 months of construction.

Thousands of customers were there to catch a first glimpse of the mega shopping centre.

By Christmas, Westfield Newmarket will have 230 shopping, food, beauty and entertainment stores across its 88,150 sqm site.

The first stage of the newly built Westfield Newmarket opened today. Construction on the mall is ongoing.

The first stage opened with 40.

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Paul Gardener, regional manager for Scentre Group, said the company had never received such a warm welcome.

'It has been amazing. We are delighted. There was a flood of people,' he said.

'During the kapa haka performance the voices echoed through the hall, it really was something else, the resonance, the volume, it was next level.'

Gardner said the whole opening experience had been remarkable.

The new Farmers store in Newmarket will be one of the anchors.

'We had been trying to tamp down expectations, saying this was just the first stage with more to come, but the customers have really shown up and supported us.'

Gardner said the Westfield Newmarket was about creating an experience for shoppers rather than just being a place to buy things.

'40 per cent of what is bought here will be consumed here,' Gardener said.

Newly built Westfield Newmarket opened today offering new and well known brands.

David Collins, chief executive of Farmers, said many of the customers waiting to walk into the store were loyal shoppers.

'They greeted the staff like family, it was really something else to see.'

Over 70 per cent of the staff from the old Newmarket Farmers store had been re-employed in the new offering.

Maddie Vistinich, who worked across the road and was eyeing up a couch in Farmers with a friend, said the development had been a long time coming.

'We work across the road and we have seen all the construction going on for months. It is quite surreal seeing it all come together,' she said.

'It is very impressive, I am overwhelmed.'

Vistinich said she was checking out the options for work colleagues who would come over later.

'We have had a few traffic jams but it is pretty cool. It's worth it.'