Indooroopilly Shopping Centre is an iconic super-regional shopping centre based in Brisbane’s inner western suburbs with a gross lettable area of approximately 116,000 square metres.
Since opening in 1970 the centre has continually grown and evolved, transforming to meet retailer and customer demand with extensive renovations and redevelopment works spanning this period that have included the addition of cinemas, outdoor dining & fresh food precincts, international fashion brands, new supermarkets and additional department store. This colossal shopping and lifestyle destination now houses 360 stores spanning over four levels.
AMP Capital have managed Indooroopilly Shopping Centre since the 50% purchase of the centre late 2017, with the acquisition based on a five-year repositioning strategy to revitalise this iconic super-regional asset. Substantial capital investment has been injected for substantial development works to seamlessly integrate the ‘old’ and ‘new’ parts of the centre, improve customer circulation, upgrade carparking and enhance overall customer experience.
These improvements aim to future proof the asset, increasing performance and asset value. A common theme across all development projects that form part of the overall program is the desire to embed the Brisbane lifestyle into Indooroopilly Shopping Centre bringing identity and character to the different parts of the centre and introducing more landscape elements to capture the Brisbane sub-tropical feel.
DMA Partners was engaged in 2018 as the Centre Development team’s Project Management partner to manage the design and construction teams to deliver on this vision set by the owners.
Working in an operational centre brings significant challenges and DMA’s project leadership team was engaged to develop the delivery strategy and methodology to ensure integration of numerous sub-projects running in parallel, with minimal disruption to existing tenants and customers, while achieving time and cost savings, minimising hold-ups and overlaps, finding efficiencies to meet (or beat) budgets and the deadlines.
A number of improvement projects were completed at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre last year including:
Fresh Food Precinct
Improved lighting and additional seating which provided customers with an elevated experience, increasing customer visitation, dwell time and performance of this precinct.
ALDI Indooroopilly
Indooroopilly Shopping Centre welcomed ALDI to the centre last year just in time for Christmas. Opening a new supermarket in an existing shopping centre presented unique challenges and DMA Partners was proud to have been involved in delivering a quality retail outcome for both ALDI and Indooroopilly Shopping Centre. The addition of ALDI to the tenancy mix has benefited the centre by enhancing the supermarket offer available to customers, aiding foot traffic circulation on level 1, contributing to an increase in total foot traffic and centre retail performance.
New Seating Areas
Another project the Centre Development team delivered prior to Christmas 2019 was the introduction of new furniture pods across the centre. This new furniture not only provides customers with comfortable spaces to pause and relax during their shopping trip, but provides navigational assistance with subtle precincting using colour to reference each parking level: Blue Level 1, Red Level 2 and Green Level 3.
Centre Improvement Works projects underway in 2020 include:
(1) Carpark Wayfinding & Improvements
(2) Vertical Transportation projects
(3) Food Court upgrade and mall links
(4) Ambience Works
1. Carpark Wayfinding and Improvements
The carpark wayfinding project involves an overhaul of the customer journey in and out of the centre’s carparks. This extends to the entry gate signage which now includes parking numbers to give customers the best access to bays available. Reviewed signage also further assists customers in finding their way out of the centre by directing them to the closest exit and provides clear messaging relating to which part of the centre a customer is in using the Majors as a reference point. These projects are due to be completed by March 2020.
A new ramp will be introduced underneath the cinemas to provide vehicular access through to level 4 parking above David Jones. This new ramp will improve the circulation of traffic within the carpark. This project also includes a reconfiguring of some of the level 4 carpark to remove the conflict between entering and exiting traffic. Estimated completion for this project is mid 2020.
2. Vertical Transport
Several projects are underway to overhaul vertical transportation at the Centre. These projects involve replacement of older escalator units and introduction of new escalators positioned to greatly improve circulation and allow a more legible layout for customers enhancing movement between all retail levels.
Introduction of new escalators in the eastern mall provides an opportunity to also reconfigure the mall skylight. The upgrade to the mall skylight is designed to draw in additional light as well as integrate new timber finishes and greenery. A temporary gantry will be installed over the mall to facilitate the modifications to the skylight.
3. Food Court Upgrade
The provision of the cut through pedestrian link between the food court and the adjacent David Jones mall is aimed to improve connectivity and pedestrian flow between these two major areas of the centre. The cut through improves visibility along the existing new mall and introduces visual cues to assist wayfinding and place making. The aim is to improve the shopper experience and improve trading conditions to those tenants in the general vicinity.
A new link will be constructed on Level 3 to provide access directly from the Food Court to the David Jones mall improving circulation through this vibrant part of the centre.
Exciting works are planned for the Food Court area including new furniture and lighting, additional planting and new hand wash stations. There will also be a link between the Food Court and the Bus Interchange aiming to draw in additional foot traffic.
4. Ambience Works
Further ambience upgrade works will be rolled out throughout the Centre with the objective of improving integration between the old and new parts of the centre. These works include replacing voids in the old mall with new treatments that will add warmth and connectivity. The treatments will include timber finishes, new LED lighting and high-level greenery placement.
DMA Partners is proud to partner with Indooroopilly Shopping Centre’s Development Team to revitalise this iconic super-regional asset, collaborating at every stage of the project from detailed design management and cost planning to contractor engagement, from construction to completion, continually examining for opportunities and weaknesses, incrementally adding to project time and cost savings and setting the asset up for continued growth and improved returns into the future.
