Canberra investor announces $65m large format retail for Aura, Sunshine Coast

An interstate investor is pumping $65m into a massive retail precinct for a Sunshine Coast community and has vowed 300 jobs will be created during construction and into the future.

Canberra investor announces $65m large format retail for Aura. Picture - contributed.

An interstate investor has announced a massive $65m retail precinct for a Sunshine Coast master-planned community, which is set to create 100 jobs during construction and more than 200 permanent and casual jobs once complete.

Sunshine Coast’s Aura master-planned community will be home to an expansive 18,000sq m large-format retail precinct, set to redefine shopping and lifestyle options in the area.

The Aura Home + Life project will be delivered by a $65m investment by Canberra-based Capital Property Group and will cater to the community’s growing needs by offering home and lifestyle tenants including electrical goods, furniture, pet supplies, homewares, automotive and recreational products.

It will occupy the site on the corner of Graf Drive and Aura Boulevard, adjacent to the Aura Business Park.

Capital Property Group’s head of property Richard Snow said the project offered the opportunity for the group to continue its investment in the Sunshine Coast by providing a quality retail offering for the community of Aura, Caloundra and the hinterland towns west of the Bruce Hwy.

It will offer easy access to the Bells Creek Arterial Road and Bruce Highway. Picture - contributed.

“With the Sunshine Coast’s population set to exceed 540,000 by 2046, we see significant potential to invest in the region by providing key amenities to support the growing needs of the population in the decades ahead,” Mr Snow said.

“We are excited to be at the forefront of this growth and to contribute to creating a thriving, future-focused community.

“Aura Home + Life will generate approximately 100 jobs during construction and 200 after completion and will be a best-in-class large format retail precinct with a convenient and easily accessible layout.”

Capital Property Group is a family-owned company with a 40-year history in commercial and retail development and is an investor, alongside Stockland, in the broader Aura residential development.

Stockland Aura project director Josh Sondergeld said Aura Home + Life was an exciting and welcomed addition to the master-planned community.

The Aura Home + Life retail precinct will create more than 300 jobs. Picture - contributed.

“This new home and lifestyle hub will bring together a vibrant mix of home and lifestyle retailers to keep our residents and the community well connected to everything they need, while also creating local jobs and driving economic growth within Aura,” Mr Sondergeld said.

“We’re pleased to be working with our partners to deliver this precinct, which reflects our commitment to building vibrant communities where people can live, work and play.”

Construction is expected to commence in early 2025, with completion and stores open for trading in early to mid-2026.