David Jones CEO Ian Moir said the divestment of 299 Bourke Street Mall would allow the company to focus on improvements and updated curation of the larger 310 Bourke Street store as well as make considerable progress towards debt reduction.

Stage 1 of the $1 billion Armstrong Creek Town Centre development has opened, featuring a Coles and Liquorland, plus supporting specialty retail shops.

The project, located 7km south-west of the Geelong CBD, was developed by Melbourne-based developer WelCo, which has a strong investment within the Geelong region through its residential division, Shopping Centre News reports.

The Armstrong Creek Town Centre will on completion feature residential, retail and commercial developments.

Shops such as Overtime Espresso, TerryWhite Chemmart, as well as Coles and Liquorland, are all open and trading. Anytime Fitness, Salon 7 Hair, Cignall, Bakers Delight, Sushi and Dumpling Hub are expected to open soon, with Dan Murphy’s, KFC and Hungry Jack’s opening in the first quarter of 2021.

Andrew Welsh of WelCo said the town centre would employ more than 5000 people over the life of the development.

The centre adjoins the future Armstrong Creek Train Station, recently announced by the state government as part of a $160 million commitment to expand the train line to accommodate the booming population growth in the area. The future train line will provide direct access to Geelong and the Melbourne CBD.

This story appears in the August 5, 2020, issue of Inside Retail Weekly.