Thousands of shoppers flocked to Morley Galleria, with owner Vicinity Centres throwing open the doors of its new fashion mall as part of the shopping centre’s $240 million revamp.
Speaking at the opening in Perth on Thursday, Vicinity boss Peter Huddle said it was a long time coming, with plans to redevelop the shopping precinct first touted in 2013.
“We always knew this was a fantastic trade area and we always knew there was retail demand here,” Mr Huddle told The West Australian.
“We do expect this centre to perform extremely well. We’re introducing a lot of new offers into the centre, particularly around entertainment, dining and we’re bringing a lot of traditional retailers back (who are) putting their best foot forward and launching at least 20 new stores to market.”
The new shopping precinct features an expanded suite of new and existing retailers spanning across fashion, technology, lifestyle, beauty and sport.
It comes after years of stalled plans to redevelop Galleria that have led to an exodus of retailers and eateries from the once-thriving centre.
There are plenty of familiar names among the new arrivals, including Country Road, Seed, Perfect Stranger, JB Hi-Fi, JD Sports, City Beach, Mecca and W Cosmetics.
In the following weeks, the fashion mall is also set to welcome Victoria’s Secret, Aje, Nude Lucy, and independent bookstore Harry Hartog.
Leading the fashion mall line-up is the new-look Myer, with a revitalised beauty hall, a refreshed store layout and more than 120 new brands — including 50 across beauty and skincare.
“We are ready to amaze our customers, we’re ready to welcome you back and show you . . . an amazing shopping experience,” Myer general manager WA/SA Sanette Sam said.
Once the wider transformation is complete, Galleria says nearly 100 new and returning retailers will be part of the centre.
The revamped Galleria comes just weeks out from the all-important Christmas trading period, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales coming at the end of the month.
“The key is always to try and get the retail development phased and opened with a good run in so retailers can really find their groove, their operating rhythm before the all-important Black Friday,” Mr Huddle said, adding he expects a “very strong Black Friday based on macro-economic conditions”.
“Christmas is always a strong trading period and then (it’s) Boxing Day sales.
“I can’t underestimate the criticality of these next two months in terms of retailer profitability and how they can set themselves up for 2027.”
Thousands more are expected to flock to Galleria over the opening weekend, with the shopping centre promising giveaways, specials, immersive experiences and entertainment.
“We are so excited to be welcoming the community to Galleria today,” centre manager Allana Edwards said.
“We’ve been working towards this day for a long time, and it’s fantastic to see the doors open to our new fashion mall.”
Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.
Sign up for our emails