By Aimee Chanthadavong

Central at Central Park, a multi-level vertical mall, has been unveiled as part of a $2 billion urban village development in Sydney’s southern CBD.

The 14,000 square metre four levels ‘living mall’, which is a joint venture between Frasers Property Australia and Sekisui House Australia, boasts a collection of retail stores, restaurants and art spaces across four levels. Some of these retailers include Adidas, a two-storey Glue Store, Footlocker, Forcast, Priceline and a 2,000 square metre Woolworths. International retailer Daiso Japan located on level one is also part of the retail mix.

Speaking to RetailBiz, Guy Pahor, CEO of Frasers Property Australia, said the idea for Central was to create something more than a retail venue but rather a lifestyle hub.

“We have gone to extraordinary lengths to create an environment where people want to come back to not just to shop, but to eat, to meet so it becomes a social hub,” he said.

“In that way it will become a part of their daily life, which is what we want to do with Central Park and in order to do that you have to go to the extra yard in terms of the environment.

“But an important part of that is the mix of retailers so it’s important to the right mix to cater to the demographic, which is what we have done here. We have a predominately youth focused fashion offer. We have a international food offer both in the Central Kitchen and the Dining District and both of those things really play to the strengths of the demographics.

“The surrounding here has a high proportion of young and single people with a higher than average disposable income, so you have to be very conscious about the neighbourhood you set yourself in if you want to become part of their lives and I think we’ve done that hopefully successfully at Central Park.”

A unique feature of the mall is the digital wall, an interactive installation that is operated through a touch screen interface located in the middle of the centre. Visitors are encouraged to interact with the screen through a series of software applications, allowing them to create music, grow flowers and move their body to create live imagery on the digital wall. To complement the digital aspect of the mall the centre also offers free Wi-Fi to customers.

“Central Park is more than just a retail concept,” Pahor said.

“We are increasingly focused on urban regeneration projects such as Central Park and by nature these projects are multi-facet. They include a mix of uses typically residential, commercial, retail and another community uses. The retail centre here is just one component and a very important component of the overall story of Central Park.”

Here's the full list tenants that will form of the Central retail mix:

10×8 Photography Gallery
Adidas
Brand X
Chatime
Chinatown Cellars
Coco Cubano
Commonwealth Bank
Cubby and Corner
Daiso
Din Tai Fung
Forcast
Gelatissimo
GG Espresso
Ghermez Cupcakes
Glue
Guzman Y Gomez
Hyde DC
LP's Quality Meats
Priceline
Ribs & Burgers
Roger Tait
Superdry
Top Juice
Woolworths
Max Brenner
Pigeonhole
Platform 72