Westfield Warringah Mall

This article is about the major shopping centre. For other uses of the name, see Warringah.

Westfield Warringah Mall

Entrance to Westfield Warringah Mall from Condamine Street
Location	Brookvale, New South Wales, Australia
Coordinates	33°46′04″S151°15′58″E / 33.767720°S 151.265991°E / -33.767720; 151.265991
Address	Condamine Street
Opening date	4 April 1963;62 years ago (1963-04-04)
Management	Scentre Group
Owner	Scentre Group
Stores and services	381
Anchor tenants	8
Floor area	131,589 m2 (1,416,412 sq ft)
Floors	3
Parking	4,650 spaces
Public transit	Warringah Mall
Website	westfield.com.au/warringahmall

"Pacific Family" by Victor Cusack (1988), at the centre court

Another fountain at Westfield Warringah Mall

Westfield Warringah Mall, previously known as Warringah Mall, is a large indoor/outdoor shopping centre in the suburb of Brookvale in the Northern Beaches region of Sydney. ^[1]

History

20th Century

1960s: opening

Warringah Mall opened on 4 April 1963 and was developed by Hammerson Group and was the second largest Australian shopping centre at the time with Chadstone Shopping Centre being the largest. ^[2] The centre was partially built on the site of 'Brookvale House', which was built by Sydney Alexander Malcolm in 1883 and was sold in 1961 to the Hooker Investment Corporation. Warringah Mall contained around 50 stores, including David Jones, Nock & Kirby, Franklins and Woolworths. ^{[3] [4]} Ten years later, the centre saw the opening of a new Grace Bros store which was upgraded from a homemakers store and 50 more speciality stores in 1973. The same year, a fire broke out in the original Woolworths store, killing two female workers.

On 13 December 1979 the Hoyts Twin Cinema complex opened with the screening of The Muppet Movie and Alien. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

1980s

Warringah Mall was featured in the movie BMX Bandits with two young BMX experts, P.J. (Angelo D'Angelo) and Goose (James Lugton), who meet Judy (Nicole Kidman), who was working as a trolley collector. In the mid-1980s, a Target store was opened along with 20 specialty stores. To commemorate the Australian Bicentenary, Warringah Shire Council commissioned local sculptor Victor Cusack ^[8] to create a central fountain for the mall. Entitled "Pacific Family", it was unveiled by Deputy Shire President Julie Sutton on 23 November 1988. ^[9]

The Hoyts Twin Cinemas closed on 10 July 1989 for refurbishment which included the addition of five new screens and was scheduled to reopen by Christmas 1989. However, due to delays in construction the new Hoyts seven-screen multiplex opened on the 13 January 1990 with the premiere attraction Postcards from the Edge. ^{[10] [7]}

1990s: redevelopment

Warringah Mall was included in the sale of Hammerson's Australian property portfolio to AMP Capital in 1994. ^{[11] [12]}

On 29 May 1996 it was revealed that AMP Society has proposed $139 million three stage redevelopments of Warringah Mall. It was designed by prominent US-based architects Altoon & Porter alongside local architects Roger J. Thrum & Associates. The redevelopment proposal was to be developed around the large centre court with the open layout retained. A new air-conditioned two-level mall anchored by a newly relocated Woolworths supermarket built on the existing mall to connect to the centre court was proposed. The redevelopment also included a discount department store, a second full-line supermarket and six mini-majors and a further 133 speciality stores would be added which would boost the total number of stores to 273. The redevelopment planned to bring the total floor area from 97,300m² to 125,800m². Work on the redevelopment was expected to begin in late 1996 with completion by the first half of 1999. ^[13]

In August 1996 Harvey Norman closed its store and relocated to its newly built 12,000m² superstore in Balgowlah. This is the same move that happened months earlier with the store at Westfield Miranda closed and relocated to the newly built Caringbah Super Centre in Taren Point. ^[14]

In November 1996 the $139 million three stage redevelopment was approved by Warringah Shire Council and the works began in early 1997.

The first stage of the redevelopment was completed in March 1998 and included the opening of a new air-conditioned two-level mall anchored by a Big W discount department store on level one, a new Woolworths supermarket and liquor store on the ground level and the total number of stores to 230. ^{[15] [16]}

Stage two of the redevelopment was officially opened in December 1999 and included 60 new speciality stores, a new Coles supermarket on the ground level, a 700-seat Arena Cove food court alongside McDonald's, Rebel Sport and Surf Dive ‘n' Ski on level one, a new entertainment precinct on level two which included expanded Hoyts cinema complex, Galaxy World arcade, Warringah Mall Library, a community centre, Arena Terrace and Peninsula Room and as well as a new multi-storey carpark on Old Pittwater Road. This redevelopment brought the total floor area from 97,300m² to 125,800m². ^[17]

21st Century

2000s

The final works of the $139 million redevelopment were completed in 2000. The old areas had a makeover which was to introduce a quality homewares precinct with the opening of Wheel & Barrow and Dick Smith Powerhouse. ^[18]

In June 2001 the Franklins supermarket was offered for sale and closed down before the end of that year. ^[19] In that same year German global discount supermarket Aldi launched in Australia and was planning to open in the space vacated by Franklins. However, due to disputes between rival supermarkets Coles and Woolworths it was rejected by AMP Capital. In 2003 Aldi opened its store outside the centre on the corner of Cross and Green Streets. ^[20]

In March 2003 Westfield Group purchased a 25 per cent shareholding, this was increased to 50 per cent in October 2012.

In early 2006 JB Hi-Fi opened its store on level one. ^{[21] [22] [23]}

AMP Capital and the Westfield Group swapped interests in seven centres, including Warringah Mall which became a 50/50 joint venture between the two companies. As part of the deal, centre management transferred from AMP to Westfield with the centre rebranded Westfield Warringah Mall. ^[24] In July 2014, as part of a restructure of the Westfield Group, it came under the control of the Scentre Group. ^[25]

2015–2016 Redevelopment

In January 2015, in preparation for the $310 million redevelopment up to ten stores were closed and relocated. ^[26] Two carparks were closed and demolished in February 2015 and hoardings were erected around the centre court area. ^[27] Around that time Myer began its refurbishment, shrinking from three levels to two. ^[28] The store continued to trade during the refurbishment until February 2016 when it temporarily closed to allow for works to continue. ^[29]

The $310 million redevelopment began in August 2015 with stage one of the redevelopment completed by June 2016. Westfield Warringah Mall unveiled its 1200 spaces five-level car park and a new fresh food court which was opened by My Kitchen Rules 2015 winners Will and Steve on 30 June 2016. ^{[30] [31]}

Stage two of the redevelopment was completed by November 2016 with the grand opening on 17 November 2016. ^[32] The two-level Myer was officially opened by Australian model Jennifer Hawkins. ^[33]

This stage two development features two new mini majors a two-level H&M, Cotton On Mega and an Anaconda store, a new two-level parallel mall linking Myer and the existing centre (built over an existing carpark) and a new refurbished centre court with a new look "Pacific Family" fountain and a water feature and a surfboard-inspired sculpture known as "Whitewash" (made from 43 chrome surfboards) by Laura Enever outside Myer. ^[34] 70 new stores (including 50 fashion stores including H&M and Sephora) were added to the centre. ^{[35] [36]}

Future

2019 redevelopment proposal

On 5 October 2018, plans for the $226 million redevelopment to add a new cinema, restaurants and parking were revealed. This proposal labelled as stage two of an upgrade to the centre will include a new relocated Hoyts Cinema on level 3 above the northwest restaurant precinct as part of a new dining and entertainment hub. An additional 35 food outlets including licensed premises, 15 specialty retailers, 10 small outlets and one major store will be part of the three-level centre. The existing food court on level 1 will be expanded to the south with addition of six food court outlets and the restaurant precinct on level two will feature views overlooking Brookvale Creek and the Warringah golf course. This development would add an additional 10,000sqm of extra retail space.

The redevelopment will add modifications to the existing Target store and a row of speciality stores from Green Street entrance to the Coles supermarket end on the ground level are also planned. The number of parking spaces will increase to a total of 5,093. ^{[37] [38]} This development follows the 2008 master plan of the centre. A 14-month timeline has been estimated for completion of the project. The plans for the centre had been decided in May and on 21 November 2019 it was revealed that there had been changes in the building heights. ^[39] The proposed building heights have been dropped by 4.8 metres and step the design away from its southern edge with Old Pittwater Road. ^[40]

2020s

In March 2021, work began on modifications to the existing Target store and a row of speciality stores from Green Street entrance to the Coles supermarket end on the ground level. On 15 May 2021 Target closed its store and was replaced by Kmart discount department store which opened on 3 June 2021. ^[41]

Tenants

Westfield Warringah Mall has 131,589m² of floor space. The major retailers include David Jones, Myer, Big W, Kmart, Coles, Woolworths, Bunnings, Cotton On, H&M, TK Maxx, JB Hi-Fi, Rebel, Anaconda and Hoyts Cinema

Transport

Westfield Warringah Mall has bus connections to the Sydney CBD, Lower North Shore and the Northern Beaches, as well as local surrounding suburbs operated by Keolis Downer Northern Beaches. There is also a regular service to the nearby Frenchs Forest and Belrose regions operated by CDC NSW. The majority of the bus services are located on Pittwater Road and the bus interchange inside the centre.

Westfield Warringah Mall also has multi-level car parks with 4,650 spaces.

Incidents and accidents

• On 29 August 1969, security guard Joseph Charles Coffman was shot and killed by an unknown assailant. It appeared that Coffman was attacked from behind with a blow to the neck, and then shot through the shoulder with what appeared to have been his own revolver. 17,000 cigarettes were found at the scene, so Coffman may have interrupted a robbery in progress. Les Howarth, a 15 year old youth of Balgowlah, accompanied Coffman on his patrol, who was asleep in the security service car at the time of the shooting. A vehicle was seen speeding away from the mall, and a stolen car was found abandoned 17 ^[42] kilometres away in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. ^[43] On April 13th 1970, three men Mick Zdrauko Sormaz 24, John Laurence Stout 23 and Graham Peter Bell 22 were convicted of murdering Coffman and were sentenced to life imprisonment. Police stated that Coffman had been shot with a 22 sawn-off rifle and his own 38 revolver. ^[44]
• On 2 May 2012, a man was fatally stabbed at a bus stop at around 11:40pm. He was given first aid before paramedics arrived and he was taken to the Royal North Shore Hospital. He was declared dead on arrival. A 25-year-old male had been arrested but found not guilty due to mental illness. ^{[45] [46]}
• On 23 June 2015, a security guard was almost set on fire by a man who was high on ice. The security guard found the man slumped over on the stairs, unresponsive and with his eyes closed. ^[47]
• On 21 April 2016, a section of the centre was evacuated following reports of a possible bomb threat at the construction site. Access to a small parking area was restricted and the construction site was evacuated from the area at the north of the site, but shoppers were not affected. ^[48]
• On 7 January 2019, a woman was stabbed by a teenage girl while trying to break up a fight at a nail salon at around 3:00 pm. Two teenage girls, aged 14 and 13, had an altercation when the woman intervened and suffered a knife injury to her arm. Paramedics treated the woman at the scene before being taken to Royal North Shore Hospital. The 13-year-old was later charged. ^{[49] [50]}
• On 22 April 2024, a 29-year old man believed to be a worker fell 3m from the awning over the walkway between two stores, landing face forward on the hard surface, breaking both his arms and hitting his head. He was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital for further treatment, the investigation is still underway to determine what had happened. ^{[51] [52]}

See also

• List of shopping centres in Australia

References

1. "Westfield Warringah Mall". Scentre Group . Archived from the original on 5 May 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
2. "THE SHOPPING MALL MUSEUM" . Retrieved 18 September 2017.
3. Hammerson proposes Aust listing Sydney Morning Herald 22 June 1982
4. "Warringah Mall". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 March 1963. p. 7. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
5. "SYDNEY IN 70MM – PART 3 THE MULTIPLEX" (PDF). www.in70mm.com.
6. "Miss Piggy of the Muppets took off from the Hoyts cinema complex in..." Getty Images. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
7. "Hoyts Warringah Mall in Sydney, AU - Cinema Treasures". cinematreasures.org. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
8. "Victor Cusack - Art". victorcusack.com.au.
9. Unveiling bronze sculpture, Warringah Mall, 23 November, 1988 , retrieved 11 June 2017
10. "SYDNEY IN 70MM – PART 3 THE MULTIPLEX" (PDF). www.in70mm.com.
11. Stevenson, Tom (16 October 1994). "Australian sale brings pounds 251m for Hammerson". The Independent. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
12. 50 years of real estate experience AMP Capital
13. House, Kathryn (29 May 1996). "AMP plans $139m revamp of mall". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
14. House, Kathryn (18 September 1996). "Harvey Norman takes the box". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
15. House, Kathryn (21 November 1996). "$139m Warringah Mall work approved". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
16. House, Kathryn (10 December 1998). "AMP trust's $41m growth". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
17. "Warringah Mall Redevelopment". Xmirus. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
18. "McGrath Retail Innovations". mcgrathretail.com. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
19. "UNDERTAKINGS TO THE AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISION PERSUANT TO SECTION 87B OF THE TRADE PRACTICES ACT 1974 BY DAIRY FARM MANAGEMENT SERVICES AND FRANKLINS LIMITED" (PDF). 1 June 2001.
20. Evans, Simon (20 November 2003). "Aldi steps up pace of expansion". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
21. Hoey, Trevor (1 February 2006). "Confident JB Hi-Fi keeps expanding". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 30 October 2025.
22. "JB Hi-Fi Annual Report 2005" (PDF). assets.ctfassets.net/. 8 August 2005.
23. "JB Hi-Fi Annual Report 2006" (PDF). assets.ctfassets.net/. 15 August 2006.
24. Westfield Group, Westfield Retail Trust and AMP Capital Restructure Ownership Interests in Portfolio of Seven Australian Centres Archived 13 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine Westfield Group 25 October 2012
25. "How the wild, wild Westfield restructure deal was eventually won". Australian Financial Review . 26 December 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
26. Shops close, move including Medibank Private ahead of Westfield Warringah Mall makeover The Daily Telegraph 14 January 2015
27. Deare, Steven (5 December 2014). "Shops to shut as Warringah Mall and Myer makeover begins". The Daily Telegraph.
28. Deare, Steven (30 January 2015). "Huge reductions coming to Myer store at Westfield Warringah Mall". The Daily Telegraph.
29. "Myer's major refurbishment plan". Inside Retail . 9 December 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
30. "Food court dishes up a new menu". Dailytelegraph.
31. "Westfield Warringah Mall redevelopment unveiled". Inside Retail. 1 July 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
32. "Westfield Warringah Mall opens today". www.scentregroup.com. 17 November 2016.
33. Swain, Sarah (17 November 2016). "Jen stars at Myer store opening". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
34. "Whitewash". Event Engineering. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
35. Swain, Sarah (15 November 2016). "Jennifer Hawkins offers peek inside new Myer store as new Warringah Mall reopens this week — with all the details revealed". The Daily Telegraph.
36. "Scentre opens more new shopping at Warringah and North Lakes". Australian Financial Review. 14 November 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
37. "Warringah Mall $226 million upgrade to bring new cinema, parking, restaurants". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
38. "Plans to expand Warringah Mall". Minuteman Press Print Services. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
39. "Fresh details and images revealed as decision is due on Warringah Mall's $226m redevelopment plan". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
40. O'Rourke, Jim (21 November 2019). "New details revealed as decision looms on Warringah Mall's $226m redevelopment plan". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
41. O'Rourke, Jim (20 April 2021). "Target closure: Dates revealed for more NSW stores, due to close in coming weeks". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 October 2025.
42. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107919473.
43. "Two in court on Mall murder charges". Canberra Times . 9 September 1969. p. 8. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
44. https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/107919473
45. Kwek, Glenda (2 May 2012). "Fatal stabbing at Sydney bus shelter". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
46. Marks, Alison (31 July 2015). "Mental illness in murder verdict". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
47. "Man high on ice tries to set fire to guard" . Retrieved 1 September 2017.
48. "Evacuation at Warringah Mall after threat" . Retrieved 1 September 2017.
49. "Woman slashed with knife trying to break up fight between teenage girls". au.news.yahoo.com. 8 January 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
50. "Girl, 13, accused of stabbing Sydney nail salon worker". Sky News Australia . 8 January 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
51. "Worker injured in Mall fall". 22 April 2024.
52. "Worker injured in fall at Sydney shopping centre". 22 April 2024.

External links

• Westfield Warringah Mall Official website