QIC Global Real Estate has appointed Thinc to project manage the $575 million expansion of the Eastland Shopping Centre in Ringwood, Melbourne.
The development at Eastland will increase its size by circa 50 per cent to 127,000 square metres, to create a town square featuring additional shopping, leisure, dining, entertainment and social experiences.
David Jones will be one retailer that will be opening at Eastland as part of the development, which will put Ringwood on the map as a retail and leisure destination – bringing new jobs, opportunities and services to the area.
“We are delighted to be on the team to deliver this landmark project,” said Thinc’s head of retail and project director on the development James Coffey.
“The expansion of Eastland Shopping Centre will further regenerate the area of Ringwood, bringing new and iconic retailers and new community services to the region. When complete, it will attract shoppers from the region and beyond, encouraging growth and further investment to the region.”
The new town square will form the link between the newly redeveloped Ringwood rail/bus interchange and the Eastland retail, dining and entertainment precinct. Central to this new pedestrian “spine” will be a new council library, learning and cultural centre to serve the local community.
The revitalisation follows the recent opening of US warehouse retailer Costco in Ringwood, the second Melbourne store for the company.
Preliminary works for Eastland have already been undertaken and an extensive community consultation process is currently underway. The project is due for completion in mid-2016, with the first stage due to open in time for Christmas 2015.