Christchurch’s Avonhead Mall set for $25 million Woolworths-led makeover
Friday, 3 July 2026
Woolworths is set to take over much of a suburban Christchurch mall as part of a $25 million redevelopment.
The Avonhead Shopping Centre, also known as Avonhead Mall, was bought by local property investor Jack Lourie, of development firm Jaxx, in 2024 from the Carter family for an undisclosed amount.
On Friday, Lourie announced he would invest $25m to redevelop the 3876m² centre, which sits on 9954m² of land.
Work is expected to begin in 2027, ushering in a new era for the shopping centre, including a significantly expanded Woolworths supermarket.
The supermarket is expected to more than double under the development, expanding to a 3000m² full-service supermarket. The footprint of the overall shopping centre will not grow.
The supermarket currently takes up less than half of the mall’s floor space. Once the redevelopment is completed, it will account for 77% of the centre.
There are 10 tenants at the site, including a pharmacy, a bookstore and Merrin Street Brewery Bar, but not all will survive the expansion.
“Jaxx has strategically left some vacancies to facilitate the expansion,” a spokesperson said.
Neville and Helen Templeton have owned Piccadilly Bookshop at the mall for more than three decades.
A staff member declined to comment, saying it would only be appropriate for the Templetons to comment on the redevelopment.
Nearby, a staff member at Appleby Games said he had heard nothing about the revamp or planned expansion of Woolworths, but believed his store would be safe because “they’ll have to knock down walls”.
The mall has 158 car parks and underwent multiple redevelopments in the 55 years it was owned by the Carter family, Lourie said.
The site looked and felt like “it’s stuck in a 90s timewarp”, Lourie said on Jaxx’s website.
Lourie said he was “delighted” Woolworths had made a long-term commitment to his centre.
“Avonhead is a great mall, which draws on a busy high density residential catchment.
“Our firm specialises in commercial refurbishments, and we could see that upgrading the centre would take it to another level to meet the demands of a modern shopping experience.”
The move follows another major supermarket expansion in suburban Christchurch.
New World Bishopdale announced its expansion and upgrade in June, promising to give a further boost to the suburb’s shopping facilities.
The supermarket is in the Bishopdale Shopping Centre, where the past year has seen properties change hands and new tenants sign up.
The construction project will boost the supermarket’s floor size by nearly 40%, increasing it northwards by about 2500m².
The store is one of 18 of supermarkets with work under way or planned, a Foodstuffs South Island spokesperson previously said.
“Ongoing investment is particularly important in the South Island, where geography and scale create additional complexity in keeping stores supplied and prices competitive.“