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Massive new Bunnings coming to Australia

A massive Bunnings store will be spread out across five levels, but there have been concerns the logo is too big.

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A massive Bunnings is expected to be completed in just two years, generating more than 800 jobs in the meantime and having five different levels.

The Bunnings high rise is slated for the Sydney suburb of Frenchs Forest, in the Northern Beaches, and will cost a whopping $48 million to build.

Three separate levels at the store will contain different retail opportunities for customers, such as hardware, an outdoor garden centre, a cafe and an area for children to play.

The parking space for the development, which will span across two levels, will also house 400 cars.

It will be completed by 2025.

The site used to house an Australia Post store and a two-storey office block, which have since been knocked down.

But there have been some slight hitches along the way, including a dispute with the local council about road safety and also about the Bunnings logo being too big on the side of the building.

And recently, the plans submitted for approval had to be changed, reports The Daily Telegraph.

The popular hardware chain is opening a monolithic store in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz
The popular hardware chain is opening a monolithic store in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Mariuz

The years-long process to get the project off the ground hit a slight bump when Bunnings reportedly had to change its plans.

Bunnings submitted to have each of its three floors increase height by 50cm.

To make up for the taller height of the building, Bunnings accordingly reduced the height of their inner warehouse on the second level.

Council approved these changes.

A photo of construction work at the Bunnings Warehouse site at Frenchs Forest where the biggest Bunnings – five storeys – in Australia is being built. Picture: Jim O'Rourke
A photo of construction work at the Bunnings Warehouse site at Frenchs Forest where the biggest Bunnings – five storeys – in Australia is being built. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

Two years ago, in early 2021, news.com.au reported that the major project, on the corner of Warringah Road and Allambie Road in Frenchs Forest, had received the green light.

At the time, Bunnings regional operations manager Alan Harvey gave an indication of the sheer scale of the undertaking.

“Spanning over 20,000sq m, Bunnings Frenchs Forest will be the first store in NSW to have three levels of retail, with on-site parking for almost 400 cars,” Mr Harvey said.

The new store is expected to create more than 130 team member jobs, as well as at least 700 construction jobs.

The planned store is almost as big as the massive new $55m Midland Warehouse in Perth’s northeast that opened in December.

It is the biggest in Western Australia, spanning more than 21,000sq m, with more than double the amount of carparking as the old Midland Bunnings at about 480 bays.

Read related topics:Bunnings

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/biggest-bunnings-store-ever-in-australia/news-story/257cad87cc686d7aa04ed7b945c3d17a