Westfield Knox redevelopment: Harvey Norman and Bupa close

As two more businesses prepare to leave Westfield Knox, shoppers are growing impatient waiting for the centre’s long-awaited upgrade. But there might finally be some action soon, with “exciting news” promised.

Harvey Norman and Bupa are closing at Westfield Knox.

Two more businesses are leaving Westfield Knox, with still no sign of the centre’s long-awaited upgrade.

Harvey Norman and healthcare group Bupa will close in coming weeks.

It follows the closure of Paesano Italian restaurant and Zone Bowling from Knox Ozone, and the planned departure of the Irish pub early next year.

Harvey Norman executive director John Slack-Smith said the store would close on October 16.

“The site is at the end of its lease and we’re in a review process,” Mr Slack-Smith said.

He said there were no plans on reopening in the area at this stage.

Harvey Norman at Westfield Knox will close on October 16.

Bupa regional general manager Honnie Donders said it had made the difficult decision to close its Knox store, with the final day of trading July 26, following a review of its retail footprint and customer activity in the area.

Ms Donders said all staff working from the Knox store had been redeployed and would continue to work with the company.

She said Bupa clients could access four other Bupa stores in the area, including at Eastland.

But Bupa customer Geoff Watson, of Rowville, was disappointed another great long-serving business was leaving Knox.

An Ozone trader, who did not want to be named, said while rents were high “you get what you pay for” with good maintenance and foot traffic bringing regular customers.

“Knox is doing quite well considering they haven’t spent money on refurbishments,” he said.

“The centre still fills up on weekends and the cinemas are still a drawcard.”

Other people took to Westfield Knox’s Facebook page to complain the centre still hasn’t been upgraded.

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Leanne Brown said the centre was outdated and needed a complete overhaul.

In response, the centre said: “It is true that it has been some time since there has been a significant development at Westfield Knox. We have some exciting news which we will soon be sharing with our customers.”

A $450 million expansion was announced six years ago, but work has still not begun.

Photos of the centre’s Myer store earlier this year showed how desperately it needed a spruce-up, with masking tape holding carpet together and carpet in a change room stained.

In a statement, Myer said it was still in discussions with the landlord on the redevelopment of the centre and options for the Knox store.

Westfield Knox centre manager Kristian Nicholls said it was committed to continually evolving its mix of retailers and experiences and was working to bring new and exciting retailers to the centre.

Mr Nicholls said it was looking forward to the launch of The Sporting Globe at Ozone in October, which followed other new recent additions including Sushi Jiro, which will open this weekend, and the relocation and major expansion of Khazana Indian restaurant.

“We will continue to keep our customers and the local community updated as we have more news to share about Westfield Knox,” he said.