Vicinity Centres (Vicinity) and Perron Group have officially opened a refreshed Runaway Bay Centre following the completion of its modern, coastal-inspired makeover.

A food lovers delight, the renovations provide a stunning environment for the raft of new artisan food retailers and dining providers recently welcomed to the centre, providing an abundance of choice for the local community.

Regional General Manager of Development, Mark Kelley said: “With the completion of our project to deliver a refreshed Runaway Bay, we’re thrilled to open our new fresh food and casual dining precincts, and especially pleased to unveil our brand new alfresco deck area, giving customers the chance to dine overlooking the water.”

“Inspired by local style and tastes, we’ve used soft timbers, oversized planters and modern furniture to deliver a Queensland-led coastal design that stretches from the fresh food precinct all the way through casual dining and out to the alfresco deck.

“Complementing the renovations is a carefully curated selection of fresh produce and speciality ingredient retailers, and mouth-watering dining operators, providing something for every taste bud.”

Runaway Bay is one of the only shopping centres in Australia where customers can arrive by boat with mooring available on the canal, and the new deck area with direct access to the centre will take full advantage of this.

Among the new retailers welcomed to Runaway Bay are: local premium butcher, Steak Kings; artisan coffee and café, Crema; popular fresh sushi store, Sushi Hub.

Centre Manager Sharon Gambrill said: “Our makeover is an exciting new chapter for Runaway Bay, and we can’t wait to welcome locals the community to enjoy lunch in the spacious new casual dining precinct and browse our fantastic selection of specialty food retailers.”

Work on the renovations commenced in February 2021, creating more than 450 local jobs to deliver upgrades including new flooring, ambient lighting, and the construction of eight stores and a dining kiosk.