Pacific Square
Map
LocationMaroubra, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates33°56′29″S 151°14′19″E / 33.94128208983527°S 151.23852526910787°E / -33.94128208983527; 151.23852526910787
Address737 Anzac Parade, Maroubra NSW 2035
Opening date1981; 43 years ago (1981) (original)
November 2004; 19 years ago (November 2004) (current)
ManagementCharter Hall
OwnerCharter Hall
No. of stores and services58
No. of anchor tenants2
Total retail floor area13,778 m2 (148,310 sq ft)
No. of floors2
Parking620 spaces
Websitewww.pacificsquare.com.au

Pacific Square (previously known as Stockland Mall Maroubra and Stockland ShopSmart Maroubra) is an indoor/outdoor shopping centre in the suburb of Maroubra in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, south-east of The CBD.[1]

History

The site of Pacific Square was originally the Vocalist Theatre which opened in 1939 and closed in 1961. The theatre building was used as an ice skating rink shortly after the theatre's closure.[2]

In 1963, the Westfield Group purchased the theatre and built a Coles New World supermarket and a small shopping arcade on the site.[3][4][5] The shopping centre was purchased in the late 1970s by Stockland who commenced construction on a new shopping centre. The construction involved the demolition of the Vocalist Theatre.

Stockland Mall Maroubra opened in 1981 and featured Grace Bros, Coles New World, Franklins and 67 stores grouped around a courtyard area.[6] The centre was situated over two floors. The ground level contained Coles New World and access to the carpark, while Franklins was located in the upper level. Grace Bros. was located on both levels.[7]

The opening of Westfield Eastgardens in 1987 in nearby Pagewood had been blamed for the downturn in trade in the centre.[8]

In October 1994, Stockland Mall Maroubra was rebranded as Stockland ShopSmart Maroubra and was the first Stockland mall to convert to a factory outlet mall. Grace Bros was converted into GoodBuy Clearance Centre which sold discounted products and clothing from Grace Bros and Myer stores around Australia.[9] GoodBuys Clearance Centre operated until its closure in 2002 when the centre was closed.[10]

On the night of 23 June 1998, the courtyard area of Stockland ShopSmart Maroubra was damaged by fire and destroyed at eight shops. As it was late at night, and only the Coles supermarket was opened, 15 people were evacuated and there were no casualties or fatalities. Following the event, many shops in that area were closed or relocated from as little as a month up to about eleven months. The whole courtyard area was re-opened in May 1999.

In 2000, Stockland sold the centre and the centre was known as ShopSmart Maroubra Mall. Stores inside Maroubra Mall closed in 2002 in preparation for demolition. Demolition works commenced in 2003 with the mall completely demolished to make way for a new shopping and apartment complex known as Pacific Square.[11]

Pacific Square opened in two stages. Stage one opened in November 2004 and featured a Coles supermarket, 29 specialty shops and a town square which features an outdoor eating area surrounded by apartments and offices on the upper levels. The first stage of development costed $101 million, with stage two costed $99 million. Stage two opened in late 2007 with an Aldi supermarket and an additional 30 specialty stores. The second phase of stage two opened in November 2007, with a Fitness First on level 1. Also level 1 featured the Maroubra Medical Centre and Pacific Square Physiotherapy. The completion of this stage made Pacific Square Sydney's largest and most complex strata schemes.[12]

In April 2015, Charter Hall purchased Pacific Square for $137 million.[13]

In the early hours of 17 May 2016, around 1:53 am a pair of masked men doused petrol on a juice bar and set the store on fire. One man's leg was almost caught in the blaze.[14] About 50 people were evacuated from the apartment complex above on Anzac Parade after the explosion ripped through the cafe and the shopfront blown into the street.[15] When police arrived the building was well alight and it took about 30 firefighters to bring the blaze under control.[16][17]

In August 2017, Pacific Square commenced $7.1 million refurbishment of the fresh food precinct. The development included a new expanded Aldi, a new relocated Liquorland to make way for the new bigger Coles. This refurbishment was completed in late 2018.[18]

Tenants

Pacific Square has 13,778 m2 of floor space. The major retailers include Aldi, Coles and Fitness First.

References

  1. ^ "Property Detail". Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Vocalist Theatre in Sydney, AU - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Westfield 50th Anniversary" (PDF).
  4. ^ "Chapter Two: 1960–1970: Determination, Drive, and Debentures" (PDF). Westfield Group. Archived from the original on 12 August 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ "Westfield Place opens in Blacktown - Australian food timeline". Australian food history timeline. 19 September 1950. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  6. ^ "All your favourite brands at factory prices". Maroubra Mall Factory Outlet Centre. Archived from the original on 26 September 2001. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  7. ^ "Redevelopment". Maroubra Mall Factory Outlet Centre. Archived from the original on 18 November 2003. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  8. ^ "Marouba is facing up to a battle". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 October 1986. p. 12. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Shoebridge". Australian Financial Review. 17 October 1994. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  10. ^ Amuso, Fabian (16 November 2015). "Fab Sydney Flashbacks: 1987: Westfield Eastgardens Opens". Fab Sydney Flashbacks. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  11. ^ "Old Sydney Album". Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2021 – via Facebook.
  12. ^ "Excel Building Management". Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  13. ^ "Charter Hall starts $400m retail partnership". Australian Financial Review. 1 April 2015. Archived from the original on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  14. ^ "Traces of accelerant found after an explosion at a Maroubra cafe". ABC. 16 May 2016. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  15. ^ "Arsonist's leg catches alight as he escapes Maroubra fire, CCTV footage shows". ABC. 23 November 2016. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  16. ^ "Arsonist's leg catches alight as he escapes Maroubra fire, CCTV footage shows". ABC. 23 November 2016. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  17. ^ Jack Houghton (23 November 2016). "Masked men douse shop in petrol before explosion". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 1 May 2017.
  18. ^ "Pacific Square Refurbishment" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 March 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2023.

External links

Shopping centres in New South Wales
Categories