Dymocks and Sydney Street leave Burnside Village after combined five decades at up-market shopping centre

TWO of Burnside Village’s oldest tenants have left the shopping centre — but for quite different reasons.

Dymocks franchisee Sue Gardner at the Burnside Village bookshop. Picture: AAP/Roy VanDerVegt

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TWO of Burnside Village’s oldest tenants have left the shopping centre — but for quite different reasons.

Dymocks Burnside closed on January 8 and will open as Dymocks Hyde Park at 147 King William Rd on Thursday after more than 20 years at Burnside Village.

Franchise owner Sue Gardner said the move would mean lower rent and more flexibility in opening hours.

“It will certainly be different,” Ms Gardner said.

“Both types of shopping precincts have their pros and cons.

The new Dymocks bookshop on King William Rd.

“It will allow us greater flexibility in what we do and our opening hours being on a strip and King William Rd, Hyde Park, has such a great feel to it and a gorgeous ambience — it’s a lovely place.”

She said the move would “ensure our business remains viable” with the “significant cost” of rent reduced.

The only other dedicated bookshop in Unley is East Avenue Books, which sells second-hand books.

Robert Partington, Brett Partington and Jane Partington on the occasion of Sydney Street being named the 2010 Australian Independent Retailer of the Year by the Australian Retail Association.

Women’s fashion store Sydney Street closed on December 30 with the retirement of company director Jan Partington following the death of her husband, Robert, earlier in the year.

Mr and Mrs Partington opened Sydney Street at Burnside Village when the shopping centre expanded in 1988 with the addition of the Coles supermarket.

Only Cue, Portmans, Sportscraft and Pasta Deli have been there longer.

Sydney Street is still selling clothes online from a warehouse in Kent Town while working out what the future holds, acting manager Jane Rodger said.

“We haven’t got a definite plan at this stage, but Jan is definitely moving on,” Ms Rodger said.

Sydney Street opened at Burnside Village in September 1988 along with Coles New World. Source: File

Burnside Village centre manager Ric Walker said he wished Dymocks and Sydney Street well.

“With the bookshop I think it’s with times changing,” Mr Walker said.

“We’ve got a couple of very exciting tenants to replace them, which we’ll announce in due course.”

He said lower rent outside a shopping centre was a trade-off for lower foot traffic.