Auckland’s newshopping centre will create up to 700 jobs

Auckland’s new NorthWest shopping centre will create up to 700 jobs

The new NorthWest Shopping Centre in the hub of Auckland’s Westgate Town Centre development will generate up to 700 new jobs.

Owned, developed and managed by DNZ Property Fund, the contemporary shopping centre will be a boon for many of the region’s job-seekers providing opportunities within the centre’s stable of around 100 retail stores.

The $155 million NorthWest Shopping Centre set to open in early October spans 27,000m2 – the equivalent of four rugby fields – and is being heralded as the next generation of shopping centres in both design and retail offering.

DNZ Property Fund chief executive Peter Alexander says there’s been strong interest in a range of retail positions with these job opportunities helping to drive employment to complement the region’s population growth.

“Over 250 construction workers have been employed since work began on the NorthWest Shopping Centre in April 2014 and now the retail jobs follow, as well as bringing vibrancy to the wider west Auckland community when the centre opens in early October.”

Auckland Deputy Mayor and former Waitakere City Councillor Penny Hulse has been involved with the development of the north-west area for more than a decade.

“As a council we in Waitakere were dismayed that around 70 percent of west Aucklanders had to go outside the area to work,” she says. “That was the main driver in our decision to create a new regional town centre at Westgate.

../2

“To see that vision taking place and all these local jobs on offer is exciting and incredibly good news for the west. In just a few months our plans for a balanced and integrated urban community will be realised and we will reap the social, recreational, environmental and transport benefits.”

Local councillor for Waitakere Linda Cooper agrees. “I’ve been involved in planning and advocating for the new Westgate Town Centre development since its inception, and I can’t see anything but positives for our community, particularly the October opening of NorthWest Shopping Centre.

“Our community was formed between the 60s and 70s as a relatively dormant town, so to effectively retro-fit a new town centre is simply incredible. It is an exemplary case of an integrated civic and public partnership joining retail and community facilities. People will be visiting the new town centre for a host of reasons, and NorthWest has the unparalleled opportunity to lift the game and pick locals for sought-after employment opportunities.

“NorthWest’s proposition fits the Auckland Council’s development strategy very well and I look forward to seeing our local pride receive a real boost.”

Countdown is one of the NorthWest Shopping Centre’s two anchor tenants. Its general manager for property, Adrian Walker, says the company is excited to be part of the NorthWest project. “The new Countdown store will create up to 100 jobs and also provide a great offer to meet the needs of the growing community.

"We’re pleased to be part of a development that will really complement the community and create jobs.”

The NorthWest Shopping Centre boasts the latest in contemporary design and will set a benchmark for the future of New Zealand’s Out Of Home (OOH) and Retail advertising housing the country’s first full motion digital banner.

- ends

© Scoop Media