Retail department giant Kmart to open new store at Westfield Carindale

Retail giant Kmart is on the march in southeast Queensland and has confirmed it will open another new Brisbane store, taking over an entire floor of a struggling high-end retail chain’s property at a major shopping centre in the process.

RETAIL giant Kmart is increasing its footprint after announcing it would open yet another Brisbane store.

Less than four weeks ago, the retail chain launched a new outlet at Stafford City on Brisbane’s northside after taking over floor space previously occupied by Big W.

The same tactic is being undertaken again at Westfield Carindale, although it’s not Big W that Kmart will muscle in to.

The department store will take over one level of David Jones which is downsizing to only lease the first floor.

Kmart will soon be among some of the biggest retailers at Westfield Carindale when in opens next year on one of the floors that David Jones will vacate. Pic: Google.

DJs, which is owned by South African company Woolworths Holdings, announced a few weeks ago that it was reducing its footprint after its full-year profit dipped 42 per cent.

A Kmart spokeswoman confirmed they would be located at Carindale although an official opening date was yet to be set.

“We are excited to formally announce that Kmart Australia will be opening in Carindale mid-2020,” she said.

The Scentre Group, which operates under the Westfield brand, said David Jones would reopen in its ‘latest format’ in November.

An RM Williams store would open before the end of the year as well as an expanded Telstra ‘new concept store’, a Scentre Group spokeswoman said.

“We are pleased to announce Kmart will open at Westfield Carindale (in mid-2020), located on the second level of the existing David Jones store. The fit-out of the latest-format David Jones store is on track to open in November,” the spokeswoman said.

She said Kmart was the leading retailer mentioned across all of its “customer feedback channels”.

One of more than a dozen stores that have been boarded up at Westfield Carindale although the Scentre Group, which owns the centres, says more outlets will be opening. Pic: The Courier-Mail

The arrival of Kmart and another 10 more stores before the end of the year would help address the number of vacant outlets at Westfield Carindale.

The Courier-Mail recently visited Carindale and at least a dozen stores were boarded-up.

Retailers and restaurant owners say online shopping has killed foot traffic at a major Brisbane Westfield centre and their pleas for rental relief have been ignored.

One owner, who pays more than a $1000 rent per day, said they have had nothing but pushback from Westfield Carindale management over attempts to renegotiate their lease in the face of dwindling shopper numbers.