Cairns: Baby Bunting store opening date, sales, specials and jobs
The date has been set for “the Bunnings of the baby market” to finally open in Cairns – and some tactical pre-Christmas sales are on the cards.
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THE date has been set for “the Bunnings of the baby market” to finally open in Cairns – and some tactical pre-Christmas sales are on the cards.
Work crews are busy fitting out the new Baby Bunting megastore at the site of the former Amart Furniture complex on Mulgrave Rd ahead of a grand opening in a matter of weeks.
The ASX-listed company has more than 700 staff in 50 across Australia, and is about to add more to the list.
Speculation is still building about which two big-name retailers will join Baby Bunting in the 6500sq m centre, with announcements imminent.
In the meantime, the team at Baby Bunting answered six of the most pressing questions ahead of the big launch.
When do you open?
We plan to open the store on November 20.
Is the new store ready?
Building works are already under way with our fit-out scheduled to commence in October.
Can I get a job?
We’ve already started our recruitment drive and have opportunities for around 20 new people to join our team. We would be keen to hear from anyone who would be interested in a role with Australia’s national baby and maternity goods retailer.
What sets Baby Bunting apart?
Baby Bunting has been supporting new and expectant parents for over 40 years. With more than 60 stores in Australia, we are excited to be opening a store in Cairns. We cannot wait to welcome our Cairns customers to view our huge range of baby products. With over 6000 lines of baby and maternity products, Cairns customers will be able to buy in store with support from our friendly and expert team, buy online for free click and collect or buy online for home delivery.
Will there be opening specials?
We will be holding a grand opening and details will be available closer to the launch date
Any other surprises?
We will also offer a professional car seat installation and capsule hire service.
EARLIER: A Cairns retail mystery has been solved with the announcement of the first major new tenant to take over the massive former Amart Furniture complex.
The sprawling centre at the junction of Florence St, Martyn St and Mulgrave Rd covers about 6500sq m, its building a stark white blank slate after all signage and other references to its former tenant were removed.
SEARCH FOR CAIRNS’ CUTEST BUB: NOMINATE YOUR BABY
Speculation has been rife about what kind of merchants would move into the centre, with plenty of hopes pinned on big-name retailers shifting to Cairns for the first time.
Baby Bunting – known colloquially as the “Bunnings of the baby market – has been confirmed as the first operator to sign the dotted line.
The Australian Stock Exchange-listed company has been an Australian success story, starting as a family-owned business in Melbourne and growing to become the biggest nursery goods retailer in the country.
It now has more than 700 employees across 50 stores and has been listed on the ASX since 2015.
It is a whopper, but it is by no means the biggest new name coming to the centre.
CBRE Cairns managing director Danny Betros said another new operator was about to finalise a lease for the largest tenancy in the centre – roughly a 3000sq m space.
A third business is also on the verge of locking down a smaller remaining lease, although even it is more than 1200sq m.
“The whole building has been committed and we’re just waiting for the formal leases to sign,” Mr Betros said.
“The property will be 100 per cent leased and the biggest one is new to the region.
“We will be able to confirm the names of the other tenants shortly.”
Mr Betros said his firm alone was getting close to leasing almost 20,000sq m of vacant commercial space across Cairns in the space of just a few short months, with more big announcements imminent.
The former Amart building still belongs to Eastcote Pty Ltd, owned by Dutch expat billionaire John Van Lieshout who made his fortune through the Super A-Mart furniture chain.
He sold the business in for $500m in 2006 but retains a large property portfolio which includes multiple shopping centres, as well as hundreds of housing and townhouse sites through his Unison Projects Group business.
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