Briscoes rules out move to new Timaru development, buys its Ashbury site

Wednesday, 17 May 2023

Timaru’s Briscoes, off State Highway 1. (File photo)

One of the nation’s biggest retailers tipped to move two of its retail stores to Timaru’s newest and largest retail development has ruled out the move.

In March, Briscoe Group managing director Rod Duke confirmed the company was in talks to relocate its Briscoes and Rebel Sports stores to The Showgrounds retail complex.

At the time, a Trade Me listing said the lease for Briscoes, at 77 Evans St/State Highway 1, Timaru, would expire on October 31, 2024, with incoming tenant Smiths (formerly Smiths City) set to commence a new lease on November 1, 2024.

However, just seven weeks later those moves are all off the table, with Duke confirming his company had purchased the Evans St site occupied by Briscoes, and the store would remain there for “the foreseeable future”.

* Large Timaru retailers to shift sites at the end of 2024

* More new to Timaru tenants to be announced for Showgrounds Hill development

Bunnings Warehouse at The Showgrounds earlier in May.

It was not intending to rent the site to Smiths, he said.

He said ongoing negotiations for a spot at The Showgrounds, ideally with the company’s other brand Rebel Sport, had not progressed.

“We decided not to go forward,’’ Duke said.

“They had a couple of propositions, but we decided it was best to reinvest in the property where we are.’’

Duke said the company would now have to decide whether to “squeeze” its two retail stores into the Evans St site, or leave Rebel Sport in its Stafford St site.

In 2021, Duke told The Timaru Herald a shift to The Showgrounds was one of the options being considered for the merging of the two major brands into one building.

“We consider Timaru a primary South Island location for both our brands, and we are enthusiastic at the prospect of establishing an upgraded Briscoes Homeware and Rebel Sport store,’’ he said at the time.

Smiths did not wish to comment on the moves when asked about plans in March.

However, on Wednesday Smiths City managing director Tony Allison said, in response to question about the future of the Timaru store, “we won’t be leaving Timaru – we love the place’’.

Smiths Timaru, at 5 Stafford St. (File photo)

“We have some time and expect to work through a solution in the coming months,’’ Allison said.

Meanwhile, the signs were up on the Bunnings Warehouse store at The Showgrounds and the business was expected to open next month, but it was unable to give an exact date.

St Pierre’s Sushi, another confirmed tenant, did not have an open date for its Timaru store, it said.

Four businesses had opened at the development since March – Countdown the first on March 9, followed by Bed Bath and Beyond, and Look Sharp. Black and White Coffee Cartel opened on April 17.

Those businesses and Lone Star all signed up for the first stage of the development.

Redwood Group has been approached for comment.