Westfield Fountain Gate

Westfield Fountain Gate
Location	Narre Warren, Victoria, Australia
Coordinates	38°1′7″S145°18′15″E / 38.01861°S 145.30417°E
Opening date	March 1980;44 years ago
Management	Scentre Group
Owner	Scentre Group
No. of stores and services	465
No. of anchor tenants	13
Total retail floor area	177,755 m2
No. of floors	2
Parking	6,493
Website	westfield.com.au/fountaingate

Last updated June 02, 2024

Westfield Fountain Gate is a super-regional shopping centre located in Narre Warren in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. It is the second largest shopping centre in Australia by both floor area and number of anchor tenants. However, it is the largest shopping centre in Australia with all 3 discount department stores, Big W, Target and Kmart.

History

The Fountain Gate Shopping Centre, constructed by Overland Construction Corporation, was inaugurated by the Governor of Victoria, Sir Henry Winneke, on March 11th, 1980. Initially, the centre boasted two major retailers: Kmart and Coles New World. Alongside them were 48 other shops and the Hotel Fountain Gate, a pub and restaurant. In 1984, a Safeway supermarket was erected to the south of Kmart, enriching the center's offerings. ^[3]

The evolution continued in 1988 with the addition of a second floor to the shopping complex. This expansion welcomed a Forges department store (now Target), a Harry Heath’s Supermarket (later replaced with a relocated Coles New World), a food court, and an array of 40 more shops. The following September saw the inauguration of the adjacent homemaker center.^[3]

The center underwent significant redevelopment when it was acquired by the Westfield Group in July 1995. This redevelopment transformed the center into a much larger complex, culminating in 2001. Notable additions included a new eastern wing on the ground floor, featuring a revamped food court, an entertainment precinct housing a Village cinema, a Big W department store, an Aldi supermarket, a relocated Safeway (later rebranded as Woolworths), and various specialty shops. Additionally, a BI-LO supermarket was added to the second floor alongside an array of more shops.

Furthermore, the former Safeway premises were repurposed to accommodate additional stores, including the Reject Shop, a Dimmeys (later replaced with Harris Scarfe), an Australian Post office, and various other shops.

A major expansion of the complex took place between 2011 and 2012. Approved by the City of Casey in December 2007, the extension featured a new two-level 12,000m² Myer store, a new 4,200m² Coles store, in a new location near the former BI-LO, with the existing store shell being reconfigured with space for two new minor anchor stores, as well as providing increased retail space for Target, which increased from 6,884m² to 8,368m². David Jones had been set to open a store in the new expansion but terminated the contract with Westfield in July 2010, with Myer replacing David Jones in the expansion. David Jones had been trying to exit its contract with Westfield Group since 2003 as Fountain Gate did not fit the company's strategy or target demographic.^[4] Four new minor anchor retail spaces were constructed, as well as 114 new specialty store spaces and 1,500 new car parking spaces, with new ground-level parking surrounding the centre and new rooftop parking above the new mall areas.^[5]

It is the location of the first-ever Krispy Kreme in Victoria.

A new building has been added to the complex which is the City of Casey's vibrant new entertainment precinct, it is the creative and community heart of the region. This is the new home of the Narre Warren Library.

In popular culture

Fountain Gate Shopping Centre is named as the mall frequented by the characters in the popular television series Kath & Kim . Scenes in the show are filmed at Fountain Gate and at another Westfield complex, Westfield Southland.

Fountain Gate Shopping Centre was a filming location in the feature film Bad Eggs where, in the first scene, a car rolls into the actual shopping centre; in the film, the mall is named Crystal Heights Shop Kingdom.

Transport

Narre Warren railway station is approximately 1 km away from the centre and is linked by a number of bus routes to Westfield Fountain Gate. Some regional buses also stop at Fountain Gate.

The Hallam Bypass, a new section of the Monash Freeway opened in 2003, passes beside the complex and can be viewed from the windows in the food court. A trail known as the Hallam Bypass Trail, constructed at the same time, runs beside the centre on the north-east side, providing access for cyclists and pedestrians.

Related Research Articles

Chadstone Shopping Centre is a shopping centre located in the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Malvern East. Chadstone Shopping Centre is the biggest shopping centre in Australia by both area and number of stores and one of the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere. The centre opened on 3 October 1960 and was the first self-contained regional shopping centre in Melbourne.

Eastland Shopping Centre is a super-regional shopping centre complex located in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Ringwood, Victoria, Australia. The fourth-largest shopping centre in Australia, it first opened on 31 October 1967 and has since grown to host over 340 retail stores and services.

Westfield Southland is a shopping centre in the suburb of Cheltenham in Melbourne. Southland has a floor area of 129,180m², making it one of the biggest shopping centres in Australia by size. There are approximately 400 retailers in Southland, including Myer, David Jones and Harris Scarfe. According to the Melbourne 2030 Metropolitan Strategy, Southland is recognised as one of 26 Principal Activity Centres. The centre is also one of the most profitable shopping centres in Australia, with an annual turnover of $857.9-million recorded in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westfield Miranda</span> Shopping mall in Miranda, New South Wales

Westfield Miranda is a large shopping centre in the suburb of Miranda in Sutherland Shire of Sydney.

Westfield Knox is a shopping centre, outdoor entertainment and professional services complex in the outer eastern Melbourne suburb of Wantirna South, in the Australian state of Victoria. The centre opened on 9 November 1977 with 88 stores and 2300 parking spaces.

Westfield Carousel is an Australian shopping centre in the Perth suburb of Cannington. It is located approximately 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Perth's central business district on the Albany Highway and approximately 600 metres (2,000 ft) from Cannington railway station. Following a redevelopment in 2018, Westfield Carousel became the largest shopping centre in Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westfield Doncaster</span> Shopping mall in Victoria, Australia

Westfield Doncaster is a shopping centre 50% owned by Scentre Group, 25% owned by ISPT, and 25% owned by Asia Property Fund located in Doncaster, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. As of July 2014, the Westfield Group became two companies Scentre Group and Westfield Corporation. The Westfield Group portion is now owned by Scentre Group. It is located on the corner of Williamsons Road and Doncaster Road in the Doncaster Hill precinct, an ongoing planning initiative by the local Manningham council. It is located 20 minutes east of the CBD and is one of the biggest shopping centres in Victoria.

Sunshine Plaza is a large regional shopping centre located in Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia and is the largest shopping centre on the Sunshine Coast. Anchor tenants included in the centre are Coles, Woolworths, Myer, Kmart, Target, Big W, H&M, David Jones, and a 12-screen Birch Carroll & Coyle cinema. The centre is currently managed by Lendlease.

Westfield Booragoon is a major regional shopping centre in the city of Perth, Western Australia. Westfield Booragoon is located at the corner of Marmion Street and Riseley Street in the southern suburb of Booragoon. 50% of the shopping complex is owned by Dexus with the remaining 50% owned by Scentre Group which owns and operates its properties under the Westfield name from which the company is derived.

Forest Hill Chase is a major regional shopping centre located in the eastern suburb of Forest Hill in Melbourne, Australia. Owned and managed by Haben, the centre is among the oldest in Victoria, opening on 30 June 1964 as an outdoor strip shopping centre, before being developed over the years into its current three level indoor form. Currently, Forest Hill Chase contains 200 stores and over 3500 free car parking spaces. The centre has three supermarkets, two discount department stores and some smaller anchor stores. The architecture is distinguished by a roof of polycarbonate construction with a barrel vault design.

Westfield Burwood is a large shopping centre in the suburb of Burwood in the Inner West of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Westfield Chermside, colloquially known as 'Chermside' or 'Chermy', is a regional shopping centre located in the Brisbane northern suburb of Chermside. It is the second largest regional shopping centre in Australia by number of stores, behind Chadstone Shopping Centre, and is operated by Scentre Group. The centre contains the Chermside bus station, a major hub for buses north of Brisbane.

Westfield Carindale, colloquially known as 'Carindale', is a large shopping centre in Queensland located in the suburb of Carindale, east of Brisbane. The centre is one of the largest shopping centres in Australia. The centre contains over 450 specialty stores and almost 6,000 car parking spaces. Other features include a food court, a Brisbane City Council Library, and a state of the art luxury Glasshouse Dining Precinct.

Cairns Central Shopping Centre is in Cairns City, Cairns, Far North Queensland, Australia. It is Cairns' biggest shopping centre. The centre was opened in late 1997 and is the second multi-story shopping centre in northern Queensland. The shopping centre is built over the Cairns railway station, which is incorporated with the centre. Pedestrian access to the station is through the car park on the bottom floor, or a pedestrian walkway on the second floor. Construction of the shopping centre was delayed temporarily due to damage suffered from Tropical Cyclone Justin in early 1997.

Indooroopilly Shopping Centre is a major regional shopping centre in the western suburb of Indooroopilly in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It hosts over 300 specialty stores over 4 floors and is the largest shopping centre in the western suburbs of Brisbane, by gross lettable area, and contains the only Myer and David Jones store in that region.

Westfield Eastgardens is a large shopping centre in the suburb of Eastgardens in the South-Eastern Suburbs of Sydney.

Westfield Mt Gravatt is one of Brisbane's major shopping centres, located in the suburb of Upper Mount Gravatt in Queensland, Australia. The centre carries the affectionate slang name of Garbo and is operated by Westfield. Previously the centre was operated by AMP Limited before the takeover in 2003. The shopping centre currently has 470 specialty stores, cafes, restaurants and other services and food vendors.

Westfield Plenty Valley is a shopping centre in the suburb of South Morang, Victoria, Australia. Until its expansion in 2008, it was known as Plenty Valley Town Centre and hosted one major store, and approximately 22 specialty stores.

Castle Towers Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in Castle Hill, New South Wales, Australia. The shopping complex is owned by the Queensland Investment Corporation.

Pacific Werribee is a major regional shopping centre located in the suburb of Hoppers Crossing, approximately 29 kilometres (18 mi) south-west of the Melbourne Central Business District (CBD) in Victoria, Australia.

References

↑ Condon, Turi (20 June 2014). "Westfield restructure a success: Lowy". The Australian Business Review. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
1 2 3 "Brighter outlook for a retail giant" Sydney Morning Herald . 19 September 2012
1 2 "The City of Berwick And The State Government Policy: An Annual Review and Assessment August 1987-August 1988 (Page 39)". Victorian Government Library Service. September 1988.
↑ Lindsay, Nicole (8 July 2010). "No fountain of cash for David Jones". Herald Sun Business Daily. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
↑ "Australian Portfolio – Development Presentation" (PDF). Westfield Group. 3 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2011.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Condon, Turi (20 June 2014). "Westfield restructure a success: Lowy". The Australian Business Review. Retrieved 14 October 2014.

[Open-2] 1 2 3 "Brighter outlook for a retail giant" Sydney Morning Herald . 19 September 2012

[:0-3] 1 2 "The City of Berwick And The State Government Policy: An Annual Review and Assessment August 1987-August 1988 (Page 39)". Victorian Government Library Service. September 1988.

[test-4] Lindsay, Nicole (8 July 2010). "No fountain of cash for David Jones". Herald Sun Business Daily. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2017.

[5] "Australian Portfolio – Development Presentation" (PDF). Westfield Group. 3 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 August 2011.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]