Chadstone Shopping Centre facts for kids
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| Location | Malvern East, Victoria, Australia |
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| Coordinates | 37°53′9″S 145°4′57″E / 37.88583°S 145.08250°E |
| Opening date | 3 October 1960 |
| Developer | Novion Property Group |
| Management | Vicinity Centres |
| Owner | Gandel Group (50%) Vicinity Centres (50%) |
| No. of stores and services | 530 |
| No. of anchor tenants | 14 |
| Total retail floor area | 233,243 m2 (2,510,610 sq ft) |
| No. of floors | 3 |
| Parking | 10,046 |
Chadstone Shopping Centre, often called Chaddy, is a huge shopping centre in Malvern East, Victoria, Australia. It's known as the biggest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere. It first opened its doors on 3 October 1960. It was the first large, self-contained shopping centre in Melbourne.
Chadstone has a massive 129,924 square metres of shops. It is home to about 530 stores and has over 9,300 free car parking spots. On its busiest days, Chadstone can see up to 68,000 visitors. Each year, it attracts around 400,000 tourists from other parts of Australia and 200,000 from overseas. The sales at Chadstone are more than $1.4 billion each year. This makes it the highest-earning shopping centre in Australia. More than 20 million people visit Chadstone every year.
The centre features major stores like Myer and David Jones. You can also find popular brands such as H&M, Zara, and UNIQLO. For groceries, there are Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi supermarkets. Discount stores include Kmart and Target. Other popular shops are JB Hi-Fi and over 500 specialty stores. Many of these are fashion shops, including luxury brands like Dior, Chanel, Pandora, and Tiffany & Co. Chadstone also has a Tesla dealership, a Legoland Discovery Centre, a Lego Store, and Hoyts Cinemas. There are two food courts, two office towers, and a new hotel.
Contents
History of Chadstone
How It Started
Chadstone Shopping Centre opened in October 1960. It cost about £6 million (around $12 million AUD today). It was Melbourne's first big regional shopping centre. At the time, it was the largest ever built in Australia. The Myer Emporium company built and owned it. Chadstone changed how people shopped in Australia. It moved shopping from city centres to large mall-style centres.
Before Chadstone was built, the land was open fields. Cattle used to graze there until the mid-1950s. Myer bought the first 30 acres of land in March 1958.
The idea for Chadstone came from Ken Myer in 1949. He looked at shopping centres in the US for inspiration. These centres were built in suburbs as more people owned cars. Myer visited the US again in 1953. He met with architects who designed shopping malls. In 1954, Myer bought 86 acres of land in Burwood for a shopping centre. However, this site was not used for Chadstone.
In 1958, an American company, Welton Becket and Associates, was chosen to design Chadstone. An Australian firm, Tompkins and Shaw Architects, worked on the building plans. Myer's senior board was worried during the project. They felt the architects didn't fully understand the "Australian Concept." They thought the architects were just copying the American mall style.
In 1960, the Myer board stated:
- "Although based in a broad way on the pattern of shopping centres in the United States, Chadstone has been individually designed to suit local needs and its own location."
The first Chadstone shopping centre was an open-air mall. Myer was at one end, and a Dickins New World supermarket was at the other. This design followed the American shopping mall style.
Early Changes
The first big change to Chadstone happened in the 1970s or 1980s. The open mall was covered with a see-through fibreglass roof. This was done because Melbourne's weather wasn't always suitable for an open mall. Around the same time, a bowling alley and an auditorium were added. The Dickins store was also changed to be easier to reach from the mall.
In the early 1980s, the Myer Emporium sold Chadstone. The Gandel Group bought it. This group has managed and grown the centre ever since.
In 1984, Chadstone had its first major expansion. In 1985, the Coles New World supermarket moved to a new mall. A Target Discount Department Store also moved to where Coles used to be. In 1986, a Hoyts 8 Cinema Complex opened. A large extension in the late 1980s doubled the shopping area. During this time, the Convent of the Good Shepherd was taken down to make more room for car parking.
Growing Bigger and Bigger
Chadstone has often been called the "Southern Hemisphere's largest shopping centre." It has also been "Australia's largest shopping centre" since 2007. This is thanks to regular building and expansion work. Westfield Knox held the title from 2002 to 2007 after its own expansion. Chadstone had held these titles from its opening day until 2002. It was then inspired to win them back. Chadstone's main rivals nearby are Westfield Doncaster, Westfield Knox, and Westfield Southland.
Before 2007
Chadstone went through many changes in the 1990s. Multi-storey car parks were built because there was no more ground space to expand. About 20% of the original mall structure is still there. This number will become even smaller with new construction.
By 1999, Chadstone had 126,000 square metres of shops. This was after the Myer and David Jones stores were made bigger. This expansion cost $150 million and took two and a half years. A local construction company, Probuild, has worked on almost every major expansion at Chadstone since 1989.
2007 to 2009
In December 2007, a $100 million upgrade took place. This made Chadstone's shopping area bigger, reaching 171,217 square metres. This allowed the centre to reclaim its title as the largest in Australia.
The new part, called "Chadstone Place," included a Woolworths Supermarket. It also featured a First Choice Liquor, Aldi, and a Dick Smith Electronics store. An airport-style bus interchange was also added. Two new health clubs and a crèche (day care) were also part of the upgrade. On 29 October 2007, the first part of this new area opened. It was called "The Loop Mall." It had 44 new stores and new entrances.
The last major redevelopment started in early 2007. It affected almost a quarter of the centre. This was the oldest part of Chadstone. It was closed from May 2008 until November 2009.
The project also changed the roads leading into Chadstone. This was to help traffic flow better. As part of the development, a community group created a website. It tracked the construction progress. The State Government did not agree to a request from the local council. The council wanted a study on transport, including a possible train link.
On 22 August 2009, 50 new stores opened. These included popular fashion brands like Sportsgirl and Portmans. In November, a special area for luxury stores officially opened. Twelve international fashion brands now have shops at Chadstone. These include Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Tiffany & Co., and Burberry. This expansion brought the total number of stores to 530.
2011 to Present
On 20 August 2011, plans were announced to make Chadstone even bigger. The goal was to reach 221,217 square metres of floor space. This would involve redeveloping the oldest part of the centre. It would also include building two new towers up to 14 storeys tall. About 60,000 square metres of the centre would be updated. An extra 27,000 square metres would be added. The plans also included updating the cinemas and food areas. An extra 1,400 car parking spaces were proposed, bringing the total to 10,708. This project was planned to finish in late 2015. It would cost $520 million. It would be the biggest non-retail expansion in Chadstone's history. The plans were approved in July 2012 and again in August 2012. On 10 November 2012, the State Government gave its final approval.
In May 2014, the owners approved part of the work. This would add 34,000 square metres, making the total 212,000 square metres. The west mall would be "revitalised" with a larger luxury section. Work at the northern end would create new shops and entertainment. This included a Hoyts digital cinema, up to five international flagship stores, 40 new retailers, and a large food court with 26 different food places. The northern expansion, including a new Target store, would be under a four-level glass roof. The expansion also included a 10-level office tower, a new bus interchange, and 800 more car parking spaces. Demolition began in June 2014, and construction started in September 2014. Parts of the new area opened in stages, with completion on 13 October 2016.
This extension opened in October 2016. It was promoted as "The New Chadstone." The updated section features many global brands. These include H&M, Sephora, UNIQLO, and many others.
A Legoland Discovery Centre indoor theme park was also announced. It opened as part of the new development. This was the first Lego-themed attraction by Merlin Entertainments in the Southern Hemisphere. It opened on 18 April 2017.
Construction on a 250-room M Gallery by Sofitel hotel started in May 2018. It was expected to be finished in late 2019.
Chadstone's Success
Chadstone Shopping Centre was the first shopping centre in Australia to be worth more than $1 billion. In 2004, Chadstone's net income was $970 million. Its annual profit in 2004 was $79.03 million. All its stores together earned $119.23 million. In 2004, 16.7 million people visited the centre.
In 2007, the total annual sales reached $1 billion. This made it the first shopping centre in Australia to achieve this.
In 2010, Chadstone's annual sales increased by 20%. It made $1.28 billion in sales that year.
The centre reported annual sales of $1.4 billion in 2013. This was a 3% increase from the year before. It remained the shopping centre with the highest sales in Australia. The next biggest was Westfield Bondi Junction, with $1 billion in sales. As of 2013, Chadstone's value was more than $3 billion.
Getting to Chadstone
Chadstone Shopping Centre was designed for people to arrive by car. This was common when it was built. It still relies heavily on cars for visitors. The centre has over 9,300 car parking spaces. More staff and customers are arriving by car. Between 2002 and 2011, the number of customers arriving by bus dropped from 17% to 12%. Those walking or cycling fell from 5% to 3%. Experts say it would be hard to change this trend.
An independent planning group looked at Chadstone's expansion plans in 2012. They said the centre caused "significant traffic issues" in the area. Traffic on nearby main roads is often very congested. Intersections are "almost full at peak times." The group's report also mentioned problems with cars parking on nearby streets. This happens during busy times like Christmas and major sales. The local community was worried that future growth would make the problem worse. The group concluded that Chadstone's size could not grow much more. This is unless major road improvements are made. Also, more visitors and staff need to use public transport.
Traffic jams also affect the 14 bus routes that serve Chadstone. These include two frequent SmartBus routes (900 and 903). Buses often take 15 minutes to travel to or from Holmesglen, which is only 1.8 km away. The Public Transport Users Association (PTUA) wants better public transport around the centre. They say buses are slow, often moving less than 10 km/h in the area. They are also often too crowded. Bus services are not frequent after hours or on weekends.
The closest train stations are Hughesdale and Oakleigh. These are on the Cranbourne/Pakenham lines. Holmesglen and East Malvern are on the Glen Waverley line. Hughesdale station is about a 20-minute walk from Chadstone. Holmesglen is about 30 minutes away. Groups like the PTUA and Town and Country Planning Authority (TCPA) suggested extending the Alamein railway line to Oakleigh via Chadstone. This could be for light or heavy rail. The RACV has also asked the state government to consider an underground train link. The local council has proposed a plan to seek a fixed rail link to Chadstone. The state transport authority, Public Transport Victoria, also thinks a rail link to Chadstone would be good. However, they say the cost would be "too high."
What Shops Are There?
Chadstone Shopping Centre has 211,929 square metres of shops. It has 550 stores spread across four levels. There are over 10,000 car spaces. The main shops are at either end of the centre. These include David Jones, Myer, H&M, Sephora, Uniqlo, Zara, and Muji. You can also find Apple, Target, Kmart, Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, Rebel Sport, and JB Hi-Fi. For entertainment, there's a Legoland Discovery Centre and Hoyts Cinema.
