Commercial market fires up

The city's biggest commercial vacancies are filling up as new players move into the region and old ones move.

The former Bunnings at Mt Pleasant has been re-branded as a Amart Furniture Superstore set to open within weeks. Picture: Navarone Farrell

EXCLUSIVE: Like slow-moving lava after an explosion of activity, the city's biggest commercial vacancies are filling up as new players move into the region and old ones move.

After lying dormant for more than three years, the former Bunnings site at Mt Pleasant is about to reopen with a host of new tenants this month.

In January The Daily Mercury revealed national franchise World Gym would open there and now Amart Furniture has confirmed it will expand its Mackay offering with a new 'superstore' in the 7-15 Greenfields Boulevard space, which has already been re-branded in their colours.

"The new Amart Superstore will be just under 4000 sq m. Our new showroom will be 600 sq m bigger than previous, which will enable us to showcase more of the great range for our customers," an Amart spokesperson said.

"We have invested into a new look and feel showroom, that will offer a better, brighter and more modern shopping experience for our customers.

"The move was prompted by an opportunity to move into a bigger site that became available and gave us the opportunity to execute our brand new format."

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About 30 casual staff have secured jobs in the new store which will open on Wednesday, May 23 following the closure of the existing store on May 22.

World Gym will open their doors on May 31 while details of a third tenant, understood to be a cafe, have not been released.

Just down the road another large warehouse, the former Masters site, is undergoing an overhaul with at least four tenants confirmed as opening in the space.

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The Daily Mercury understands Spotlight could relocate to the site along with outdoor and adventure specialist Anaconda and furniture chains Fantastic Furniture and Nick Scali.

Market confidence is also extending to the Mackay CBD with Explore Property commercial director Jordan Miller reporting a strong fortnight of activity.

Mr Miller said after patchy levels throughout 2017, inquiries picked up pace in February.

"We have seen a bit more confidence in the commercial space and there is a bit more urgency from tenants to make a move and lease property," Mr Miller said.

"Similarly for purchasers of property as well for retail, commercial and industry sheds we are seeing a lot of owner occupiers that have been talking for a while about buying property actually start to get serious about and either purchase it or start negotiating on things whereas last year there wasn't that urgency to take action.

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"Just last week we actually signed three leases, two of which are to brand new businesses coming to Mackay including a retail business and an employment service opening in Mackay and the third one is a tenant that was expanding their business that was already here."

Mr Miller recently leased a Wood St site to local couple Gary and Tania Choy who are opening new eatery Wishbone, and said more could follow.

"I had another two inspections in that same building this week, one of them is a restaurateur and the other is in the health and beauty space and both of those are likely to be putting offers in on those properties," he said.

"Those shops have been sitting there vacant for a good couple of years and we have reinvigorated the marketing there and with the confidence in the region starting to come back people are feeling more confident to commit.

"I also did a proposal this week for a large restaurant business, casual dining, that is looking at Mackay and are considering the CBD as a preferred option and that is a great show of confidence for our area. I have also just sent off another proposal for another retailer in the CBD for about 240 sq m of retail space."

TIMELINE

January 2015: Bunnings closed and relocated to Rural View

January 30, 2015: Bunnings Rural View opens

October 28, 2015: Bunnings owners 'tight lipped' about future of site

November 2015: Development application lodged with Mackay Regional Council proposing to split the 9258sqm premises into six tenancies into "retail showrooms, indoor entertainment (gym) and catering shop (cafe). Gold's Gym and cafe, Petbarn, Curtain Wonderland and Ray's Outdoors touted to fill the space.

December 11, 2016: Vandals and trespassers target the old Bunnings site. Police reveal it's not the first time they have been called to the site.

June 23, 2017: Another development application is submitted to Mackay Regional Council to split the premises in three, one massive warehouse and two small stores instead of the six tenancies originally planned. Owners begin 'cleaning up' the site to attract tenants.

December 11, 2017: Bunnings owners reveal tenants will start fitting out the site in April 2018. Mackay Property Group managing director Derek Lowe told The Daily Mercury that construction at the site would start soon to convert the large shed into smaller shops.

January 29, 2018: World Gym announced as new tenant of old Bunnings site.

April 2, 2018: Construction of new World Gym Mackay in old Bunnings site under way.

The 10,000sq m site appears set to be split into three tenancies, sources saying the Greenfields Blvd premises will also contain a cafe and World Gym.

However, redevelopment of the Masters site is behind schedule. Parent company Home Consortium told The Daily Mercury in 2016 it would be open April, 2017.

Originally published as Commercial market fires up