A brand-new retail centre, to be anchored by Kings Plant Barn, will offer businesses a chance to secure premium retail and office space in Auckland’s sought-after Lunn Ave precinct.
The retail centre at 86 Lunn Ave, Mt Wellington, is being developed on a high-profile site at the heart of a large and established catchment that encompasses fast-growing Stonefields and the affluent eastern suburbs of Remuera, Ellerslie, St Johns, St Heliers, Mission Bay, Kohimarama and Glendowie.
It has been thoughtfully designed to maximise convenience and accessibility, with dual street access from both Lunn Ave and Marua Road, and ample parking for 220 cars fronting all retail tenancies.
Due for completion in mid-2021, the development comprises a purpose-built garden centre and cafe, a brand-new single-level retail building, and a fully refurbished commercial building with ground-floor retail and offices above.
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The garden centre will be occupied by established New Zealand business Kings Plant Barn, while national premium appliance retailer Kitchen Things has agreed terms for a large showroom space fronting Lunn Ave.
Up to six new retail tenancies remain available, providing opportunities for complementary home-related retail and showroom occupiers. The newly refurbished office space is also available, with flexible floor plates to suit between one to four occupiers.
Colliers International has been exclusively appointed to offer these retail and office tenancies to the market for lease.
Leroy Wolland, National Director of Retail at Colliers, says it is an opportunity to secure a foothold in one of Auckland’s premier retail precincts.
“Lunn Ave has undergone a huge transformation in recent years to become the go-to retail destination for the surrounding suburbs.
“The area has traditionally had no vacancy and is particularly popular with home-related retailers. These have proven relatively resilient over the Covid period, as travel restrictions prompt people to reinvest in their homes.
“New developments around Lunn Ave are continuing to attract local and national occupiers, with recent arrivals including The Warehouse, Noel Leeming, Bed Bath and Beyond, and a soon-to-be-opened Taco Bell.
“Kings Plant Barn will bring another big-name drawcard to the area, complementing a wide range of neighbouring retailers including New World, Farro Fresh, Mitre 10 Mega, PlaceMakers and many more.”
Chris Hall, General Manager of Kings Plant Barn, says he is excited to be opening a new centre in such a dynamic area.
“Lunn Ave is the perfect location to complement Kings Plant Barn’s eight existing garden centres across Auckland.
“The new centre will carry an extensive range of plants, gardening supplies, tools and more, along with exceptional service and gardening advice from our highly knowledgeable staff.
“There will also be a full-offer cafe, providing a relaxing space to socialise or simply take a short break from planning garden improvements.
“We’re excited to be part of this new development and look forward to becoming the go-to garden centre for Auckland’s eastern-central suburbs.
The new Kings Plant Barn will be located at the centre of the site, which is situated between the New World supermarket and a retail centre anchored by Farro Fresh.
The brand-new retail building will be located at the Marua Road end of the site. Up to five new retail and showroom spaces are available, with flexible sizes ranging from 335sq m to the entire 2,064sq m. All tenancies benefit from the ability to support rear loading.
The refurbished commercial building fronts Lunn Ave. One retail tenancy of 552sq m is available, alongside a 1,175sq m showroom to be occupied by Kitchen Things.
Kitchen Things is a New Zealand family-owned and operated company with 20 retail showrooms throughout the country, specialising in premium European kitchen appliances.
Expert staff, live appliances and cooking demonstration classes allow customers to experience, learn and be inspired.
Mark Jones, Chief Executive at Kitchen Things, says he was attracted to the property’s excellent street profile, good onsite parking, and the ability to co-locate with complementary businesses.
“Lunn Ave is widely recognised as one of Auckland’s top home improvement precincts, which presents excellent opportunities for our business.
“We’re particularly excited to be right next to Kings Plant Barn, as well as being close to both Farro Fresh and New World.
“There’s a great opportunity for complementary home-related retailers to join us in this exciting new development, which will bring mutual benefits for all of our businesses.”
Wolland says the centre’s remaining retail tenancies are ideal for home-related retailers looking to co-locate with complementary businesses in a premium location.
“We’re looking for businesses that will add to and benefit from the overall tenancy mix. It’s a particularly good opportunity for homeware, bathroom, flooring and furnishing retailers.”
Michael van der Putten, Commercial Leasing Director at Colliers, says the development also provides an excellent opportunity for small to medium office tenants.
“The completely refurbished office floor will offer a premium modern fit out, abundant natural light and flexible options for up to four tenancies, ranging from 196sq m to the entire 1,098sq m.
“There are significant signage opportunities as well as the benefit of dedicated car parks for occupiers.
Van den Putten says the location, size and quality will appeal to a wide range of small to medium businesses, including local professional services. The space could also appeal to a larger company seeking a satellite office in a well-connected area with great retail amenity for staff.
The development is located between two of the busiest roads linking the established suburbs of Mt Wellington and Ellerslie. Lunn Ave has an average traffic count of 22,000 movements per day, while Marua Road has more than 10,000.
Thousands of residents live within a 10-minute walk of the new centre, while the wider trade area is even more populous, with more than 123,000 residents projected to live within the catchment by 2023.
The catchment is growing fast, with the primary trade area population projected to increase by 50 per cent by 2043 and the secondary area trade area by 35 per cent.
This is significantly higher than Auckland’s projected population growth of 44 per cent over the same period, and New Zealand’s projected growth of 26 per cent.
