New Toowoomba Officeworks precinct with KFC, Starbucks, Provincial Home Living to open in April

Queensland’s second-largest Officeworks precinct will include two new fast food outlets and a national chain’s first entry into Toowoomba.

Toowoomba will soon be home to Queensland’s second-largest Officeworks when the city’s new $30m precinct launches in a few months.

Developers Rob Weymouth and Daniel Cooper say the new retail and drive-through site on the corner of James and West Streets in Harristown will launch by the end of April, with contractor NRG Services on track to deliver it on time.

The new precinct, which includes the Wesfarmers-owned Officeworks as the anchor tenant, will also introduce Australian homewares and furniture chain Provincial Home Living to Toowoomba.

The site will be fronted by KFC and Starbucks along James Street, with the latter to feature extensive dine-in seating to take advantage of the thousands of customers Officeworks and PHL will attack each day.

Overseeing the construction of Toowoomba's new $30m Officeworks precinct, which includes new drive-through outlets Starbucks and KFC, are (from left) developers Daniel Cooper and Rob Weymouth and NRG Services project manager Mick Cummings.

Mr Weymouth said the new location, which will see the chain relocate from Hume Street in the CBD, was only behind Cairns in terms of size and scope.

“This is 3000 sqm and the one in Cairns is 3400,” he said.

“The square metreage when we built (the city store) 20 years ago was 1700 sqm, so this is nearly twice the size.

“It’s also only got 44 car parks, this has got about 130 parking spaces.”

REVEALED: Officeworks will be the anchor tenant of a $30m project replacing the infamous Snap Fitness eyesore on the corner of James and West Streets in Harristown.

Mr Cooper said the new Officeworks would include an extra 1200 product lines, putting it on par with services in Brisbane.

“The traffic flow is going to be great and it’s got three times the number carparking spaces, twice the size of the store and an increase of product lines,” he said.

While this will be Starbucks’ second Toowoomba location, the KFC store will be the chain’s fifth locally.

The chicken restaurant was originally meant to be part of a revamp of Clifford Gardens Shopping Centre, after plans were revealed more than two years ago.

Mr Weymouth said he was thrilled with the mix of tenants, calling it the best project he and Mr Cooper had delivered to date.

Overseeing the construction of Toowoomba's new $30m Officeworks precinct, which includes new drive-through outlets Starbucks and KFC, are (from left) developers Rob Weymouth and Daniel Cooper.

“We had another coffee operator looking at this site, but Starbucks has a great brand, from an investor in my ownership point of view,” he said.

“I never want to sell it – I think my kids will own it.

“Our lease for KFC with all the options is about 40 years and Officeworks is 30 years. “Wesfarmers is backing this so they are perfect tenants to hold on to for the long term.”

Mr Weymouth said rather than staging the openings, the entire precinct would open with a massive launch in late April.