Christchurch’s Eastgate Shopping Centre Appoints New Manager

CHRISTCHURCH’S EASTGATE SHOPPING CENTRE APPOINTS NEW MANAGER

Christchurch’s Eastgate Shopping Centre has appointed Mike Smith as its centre manager. Eastgate is owned by NZX-listed company NPT Limited; the centre is managed by Jones Lang La Salle.

Jones Lang La Salle’s national retail manager Alistair Penny says,” We’re very pleased to have Mike join the Eastgate team; his sound retail property experience and his strong local knowledge will be a great asset for the centre.”

Prior to his appointment at Eastgate, Mike was the centre manager at Dress-Smart Hornby for six years where he was responsible for the management of 60 outlet stores. Mike oversaw the development of Stage 4 of Dress-Smart where the centre grew by a further 2,200m2 with an additional 20 retail spaces.

Eastgate Shopping Centre is quickly developing into east Christchurch’s community hub. Earlier this year the centre leased 1,200m2 of first floor space to the Christchurch City Council for the Linwood Library and Service Centre. In late September NPT announced the purchase of two adjacent properties in Linwood Avenue. One property is currently used as a medical centre; the sales transaction includes a provision which will enable NPT to relocate the medical centre into a purpose-built space at Eastgate. Major retail tenants at Eastgate are The Warehouse, Countdown, Number One Shoes and Lincraft; larger retail spaces are leased to PaperPlus, Bed Bath & Beyond and Unichem.

Alistair Penny adds, “Eastgate is growing into a major retail player in Christchurch. The Linwood Library and Service Centre has brought on average another 20,000 people per month into Eastgate, and our retailers are enjoying the benefits of that increased foot traffic. There’s strong leasing interest in the centre; we’re currently negotiating with a large national retail chain for a major space, and we are about to announce a new lease to a national retailer.”

NPT’s managing director Kerry Hitchcock says, “Eastgate is a very attractive proposition for retailers with its significantly increased foot traffic and its vibrant tenant mix. Its pivotal position along Linwood Avenue gives Eastgate a great vitality and future - retailers want to take advantage of that. Mike’s experience will be advantageous for Eastgate and NPT welcomes him to the team.”

ENDS

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