Mid Valley Shopping Centre in Morwell impacted by Mosiac Brands collapse
One of Gippsland’s largest shopping centres has been hit with constant shop closures after the collapse of a major commercial brand, resulting in job losses for long-standing employees.
Bass Coast News
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One of Gippsland’s largest shopping centres has been rocked by constant shop closures, with the collapse of a major commercial brand resulting in a swath of job losses.
Mid Valley Shopping Centre manager Sjaala Harbridge said the collapse of fashion giant Mosaic Group had impacted the Morwell retail precinct heavily.
“Mosiac Brands including Rivers, Katies, Rockmans, Millers and Noni B were all popular high performing stores and it has been incredibly sad to see the staff, some of whom had been working at the centre for many years, face unemployment,” Ms Harbridge said.
Local shoppers said the centre desperately needed new businesses to fill the vacant stores.
Dear Delilah Florist owner Donna Hicks, who is located on Commercial Rd, said her daughter worked at the struggling centre.
“In recent times they have been losing a lot of shops,” the 44-year-old said.
“I guess they would have to get the bigger stores — since Target has gone, that was kind of a big draw card.
“Obviously retail across the board — especially with fashion — is having a bit of struggle at the moment.”
In 2019, a multimillion-dollar development at the complex included a Cotton On Mega, Kaisercraft and Rivers store, with the final stage of the project featuring an extensive refurbishment of the Village Cinema.
But Ms Harbridge said that, like many shopping centres in regional areas, Mid Valley had faced difficulties.
She said the centre was recently successful in re-letting three of the vacant stores, one being Brands Discount which predominantly carry fashion from the ex-Mosaic manufacturers, filling the gap that Millers left.
Ms Harbridge said the centre was close to announcing an exciting new large format store which would be a first for Gippsland.
She also said since the opening of Aldi in 2023 annual foot traffic was up and total centre sales were trending up.
A centre spokesperson said other shops that recently opened at Mid Valley included Berkshire Bedding, Becks Creative while a Bottlemart store was set to open this month.
The spokesperson said many of the vacant spaces were up for lease and the centre had plans to introduce more stores in the west mall that would feature more than 3000sq m of new retail.
“Mid Valley has been serving families for generations with a number of staff still working at the centre sharing stories of how they have watched kids grow into adults and now with families of their own,” the spokesperson said.
“Many fond memories of the centre are still shared amongst customers today including the popular sunken centre court stage and the fountain of bubbles.”
Customer research undertaken by the centre highlighted the biggest changes that customers would like to see at Mid Valley included the variety of shops and extended trading hours.
The survey revealed customers wanted a Kmart, Fresh Food, Sports store, JB Hi Fi and Target — which closed in 2018 — to return.
“Unfortunately Target are no longer opening new stores but we are always seeking the best variety and mix of retail for the centre,” the centre spokesperson said.
There have also been reports of anti-social behaviour at the centre.
In July last year, a 15-person brawl involving youths broke out inside the complex and one male was arrested.
A police spokesperson said a number of weapons were seized during the incident and one of the people involved in the fight was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
A shopping centre spokesperson said ensuring their customers felt safe while visiting Mid Valley was always the highest priority for management.
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“Our team of dedicated security patrolling the centre work closely with local police and local youth space to assist in managing and redirecting any anti-social behaviour that may occur,” the spokesperson said.
“Results from the most recent customer survey highlighted that most of our customers feel safe when shopping at Mid Valley.”
Glengarry local Kiara Haworth suggested that adding more security would help keep the larger groups out of the complex, while Ms Hicks said she never experienced problems there, but pushed for more police presence across Morwell as a whole due to the town’s rising crime rates.
A police spokesman said the officers who monitored criminal activity around the centre had been assigned to the Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court while the Erin Patterson trial was on, and would return now that it was finished.
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