Westfield Warrawong

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Westfield Warrawong
Westfield Warrawong
Facts and statistics
Location Warrawong, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates 34°29′10″S 150°53′22″E / -34.4861, 150.8894
Opening date 1960
Management The Westfield Group
Owner The Westfield Group
No. of stores and services 147 [1]
No. of anchor tenants 3
Total retail floor area 55,067 m² (592,736 sq ft)
Parking 1,764 spaces
Website westfield.com/warrawong
Footnotes
Information from Westfield and the City of Wollongong[2][3]

Westfield Warrawong is a major shopping centre located in Warrawong, a suburb of Wollongong.

Contents

[edit] History and Development

Westfield Warrawong was not always part of the Westfield Portfolio. Originally opened in 1960 as Lake Market Shopping Centre, it was acquired by the Westfield Group in 1985.[2][3][4]

The centre has a current catchment area of 246,680 persons, and retail spending in the catchment area estimated at $2.3 billion AUD (2005).[2] Annual turnover at the centre for 2005 was $190.4 m AUD with 5.4 million visitors per year.[2] In a 2004 survey conducted by the local city council, it found that the majority of visitors to the centre were attracted by its discount department stores.[5]

[edit] Redevelopments

Upon acquisition by The Westfield Group, the centre was extensively redeveloped and relaunched as Westfield Warrawong in 1988.[2] Further extensions were conducted in 1996, adding a 6,000 m² (64,583 sq ft) Big W department store to the centre.[2][6]

Previously, Big W had been an occupant of the centre in the late 1960s, however due to a change in retailling strategy by parent company Woolworths Limited, the then two level store was consolidated into a Woolworths Supermarket which was known as Woolworths Family Centres.[6]

By 2003, the centre had grown to 39,800 m² (428,404 sq ft) with 131 retailers.[7]

[edit] Events

In 1999, the centre received significant global coverage of its efforts to deal with shoplifting and anti-social behaivour.[8][9] In an effort to discourage local youth using the centre as a gathering place, the management used the centre's public address system to play older style music, including songs including Bing Crosby's 1938 song My Heart is Taking Lessons.[8][9]

On 21 September 2004, a man sitting beside a tree outside the centre was the victim of a vehicle accident.[10] The man died after being hit by an out of control hatchback as he stood next to a tree outside the centre.[10]

In March 2005, local bus company Premier Illawarra gave serious consideration to suspending one of it's Thursday evening services from the centre due to months of increased vandalism and anti-social behaivour.[11] Despite the efforts of bus inspectors and transit police, very little had been achieved to curb the problems.[11]

[edit] Transport

The centre is serviced by a public bus service operated by Premier Illawarra.

[edit] Facilities

Amongst the centre's major facilities is a Public Library operated by the City of Wollongong.[3] The library opened in 1988, and consolidated branch libraries previously located at Warrawong, Berkeley and Port Kembla.[3]

[edit] Major Retailers

Major retailers operating within the shopping centre include;[2]

[edit] Major food restaurants

Major food retailers within the centre include;[12]

[edit] Further reading

  • Wollongong Council (1957). Lakemarket, Port Kembla : proposal for South Coast regional shopping centre. Wollongong Council.  (43 pages)
  • Retail Surveys Pty Ltd (1985). Report to the City Council : proposed Warrawong retail expansion. Sydney: Retail Surveys Pty Ltd. 
  • Wellings, Smith and Byrnes (planning consultancy) (1985). Warrawong district centre study.  (includes maps and plans)
  • Unknown (1963). Warrawong Regional Shopping Centre : At the crossroads of the coast. Sydney: Welkin Press. 

[edit] References

  1. ^ Westfield
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Property Portfolio - Westfield Warrawong (en-au). The Westfield Group. Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
  3. ^ a b c d Warrawong - history (en-au). City of Wollongong. Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
  4. ^ [1988] (2nd Edition) Maxi Street Directory. Gregory's Publishing Company/Universal Press. ISBN 0-7319-0113-4. , Map 410
  5. ^ Crown Street Mall - Rates Survey 2004 and 2002 with analysis (en-au). Iris Research for City of Wollongong (12 2004). Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
  6. ^ a b Craig, Eric. "Retales", Inside Retailing, 2 September 1996. 
  7. ^ [2003-10-06] Jobson's Year Book. Dun & Bradstreet Marketing Pty Ltd. OCLC 37164161. 
  8. ^ a b "Bing keeps troublemakers at bay", British Broadcasting Corporation, 8 July 1999. 
  9. ^ a b "Crosby drives teens from Aussie mall", CNN, 8 July 1999. 
  10. ^ a b "Tragic end to rest by wrong tree at wrong time", Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 21 September 2004. 
  11. ^ a b Template error: argument title is required. 
  12. ^ Dining - Westfield Warrawong (en-au). The Westfield Group. Retrieved on 2007-07-17.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Westfield Shopping Centres in Australia
Westfield Group