Westfield Kotara
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Westfield Kotara | |
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| Facts and statistics | |
|---|---|
| Owner | The Westfield Group |
| No. of stores and services | 238 [1] |
| Website | westfield.com/kotara |
Westfield Kotara is a shopping centre that is located in the suburb of Kotara in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It was opened in 1965 as Kotara Fair. The shopping centre was purchased by The Westfield Group in 2003.[2]
The Westfield Group is the largest retail property group in the world and owns 121 shopping centres in four countries.[3] Today the centre’s major tenants include Coles, Kmart, Woolworths, David Jones and a Toys "R" Us. The centre is often locally referred to as Garden City, reflecting its former title.[2]
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[edit] History
The centre was built by Woolworths and was called Kotara Fair when it first opened on 6 October 1965[4] The centre was anchored by a Woolworths Supermarket and a Big W department store. In addition to this, there were 27 specialty stores. The centre was purchased by David Jones in 1971 and was subsequently redeveloped. The expansion was completed in October 1974 when it was renamed Garden City and added David Jones and Norman Ross department stores as well a further 24 specialty stores. Further redevelopment in 1977 occurred when Norman Ross closed and 13 specialty stores were added.[5]
In 1980 Garden City was purchased by AMP and in 1988 another expansion created the largest shopping centre in the Hunter Region. The expansion added a SuperKmart and Best & Less as well as bringing the total amount of retailers to 120.
On 28 December 1989, shortly after completion of another expansion program, the centre suffered significant damage during the Newcastle earthquake. Most affected were the upper levels of the car park adjacent to Northcott Drive and the Super K-Mart. Despite the damage, repairs were effected quickly.[6]
Major Stores
In 1995 Toys "R" Us opened and was followed in 1998 by the addition of 14 specialty stores.[5]
In 2003 following the purchase of Garden City by Westfield, the centre was renamed Westfield Kotara. Westfield worked for over a year to expand Westfield Kotara in an expansion that significantly increased its size. The centre now features a total of 250 retailers including a new Target discount department store, Dreamy Donuts, JB Hi-Fi, The Reject Shop, Borders, Jay-Jays, General Pants co, Just Jeans, Australian Post office, Pumpkin Patch, Supre, McDonalds, newsagencies, Oporto, Fitness First Gym, Wild Surf co, Priceline, Toys "R" Us, Coles, Woolworths, K-Mart and David Jones. The redevelopment commenced in May 2006. The new food court and half the mall opened on 16 August 2007. The Fashion Mall was completed in September 2007.[5]
[edit] Access
Westfield Kotara is located on the corner of Northcott Drive and Park Avenue. The centre has a significant amount of parking with entrances in Northcott Drive, Park Avenue and Lexington Parade. Level three parking is now available via the new express ramp. Level two parking is now available with other parks scheduled to be opened by the end of September 2007.Kotara railway station is located approximately 1 km away. Bus services frequently operate to various destinations in the region and are operated by State Transit.[7]
Trading hours for Westfield Kotara are:
Monday to Wednesday 9.00am to 5:30pm
Thursday 9.00am to 9.00pm
Friday 9.00am to 5.30pm
Saturday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Sunday 10.00am to 5.00pm
(These are the centre's trading hours, each store has individual trading hours)
[edit] See also
List of shopping centres in Australia
[edit] References
- ^ Westfield
- ^ a b burnett.com.au. Garden City becomes Westfield Kotara. Retrieved on 19 November 2006.
- ^ westfield.com/corporate. Westfield group. Retrieved on 19 November 2006.
- ^ propertyoz.com.au/SCCA. Shopping Centre Council of Australia: Shop Talk 14-10-05. Retrieved on 8 March 2007.
- ^ a b c westfield.com/kotara. Development History of Westfield Kotara. Retrieved on 19 November 2006.
- ^ untitled document. QVS Group. Retrieved on 17 July 2007.
- ^ newcastlebuses.info. Route Information. Retrieved on 19 November 2006.
[edit] External links
- Westfield Kotara is at coordinates Coordinates:
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