Another big Coles is coming

REDBANK Plaza is in for a retail shake-up with the region's largest Coles supermarket set to open in August.

SHAKE UP: Centre manager for Redbank Plaza Lee Anderson outside Coles which will be extended. . Photo: Sarah Harvey

REDBANK Plaza is in for a retail shake-up with the region's largest Coles supermarket set to open in August.

But the expansion of the centre's Coles store will come at a cost to consumers with the closure of a major rival supermarket.

The Supa IGA store will close in March and unconfirmed reports indicate it will not reopen in the Ipswich area.

Aldi replaces the Supa IGA on level one of the shopping centre, with Coles to extend into part of Supa IGA.

The introduction of Best & Less on level two completes the revamp, brought on in response to customer research conducted by Redbank Plaza operators Retail First in 2010, centre manager Lee Anderson said.

"Our research showed overwhelmingly that customers were ready for a change to the centre's retail offer," he said.

Mr Anderson said IGA recently flagged their preference for community-based stand alone supermarkets.

"Based on our customer research Aldi is in high demand and was the natural choice to add to the centre's mix," he said.

"Aldi and Best & Less were high on customers' wish lists as was the desire for the new look Coles."

The 4500sq m Coles will be the region's largest until the new mega store opens in Limestone St later this year.

Coles will continue trading throughout the upgrade during the six-month construction period.

Best & Less will move into the old Tandy and Priceline stores next to OPSM.

It is anticipated the changes will create more than 50 new retail jobs with further jobs in the construction phase.

Healthy Lifestyles, owned by Tina McMillan, will be moved for the expanded Coles.

It will be re-branded to the Go Viva Health Shop and she said the redevelopment was just what the centre needed.

However, Goodna shopper Debra Sandon was disappointed IGA was closing.

"I come here all the time because of the cheap meat. I'll most probably end up going to Coles now. I'm very disappointed. I don't have a car either and I'm at Goodna so it's pretty hard," she said.

Fellow Goodna resident Leanne Cardell said she would be interested in shopping in Aldi.

"I'll come and have a look at Aldi, it won't stop me from coming here," she said.

Redbank Plaza last had a facelift in 2005 when the Sam's Warehouse extension was added. The Supa IGA shop was originally the shopping centre's food court before it was refurbished in the early 1990s and turned into an Action supermarket and then a Franklins.

Retail giant

• Coles was purchased by Wesfarmers group in 2007.
• Coles' half-yearly earnings reached $656 million for this financial year.
• Wesfarmers half-year retail earnings reached $1,558 million for the financial year.

Originally published as Another big Coles is coming