An inviting and inclusive shopping experience for all is being created at Mānawa Bay, as New Zealand’s first premium outlet shopping centre prepares for the final stages of construction and signs up additional tenants, including global sportswear brand Nike. At 1500m2, Nike’s new tenancy will be its largest store in the country.

With most of the building structure in place, the focus is now on fitting out the 100-store outlet shopping centre to include some thoughtful and inclusive elements ahead of opening in the second half of this year.

Auckland Airport’s Chief Commercial Officer Mark Thomson, who leads the team delivering Mānawa Bay, said he’s delighted with how the outlet centre is shaping up, attracting sought after brands and making a difference to shoppers by offering facilities they care about as part of a strong commitment to sustainability.

“It is important to us to deliver a high-quality shopping experience everyone can enjoy and feel truly welcome. Not only is Mānawa Bay’s coastal location an opportunity to embrace, but we also challenged ourselves to think differently about sustainability and what would make a best-in-class shopping centre.

“For us that’s a low-carbon future, inclusivity and accessibility. This is about taking a careful look at how we could improve the experience for a wider range of people.

“Retailers, like Nike, can also see the value here, the chance to be part of a centre that’s aiming to reflect the needs and expectations of our community.

“We’re thrilled to have Nike on board, they’re a real anchor tenant and we can’t wait to see their logo up on the side of the building.”

Nike Pacific’s General Manager and Vice President, Ashley Reade, is looking forward to bringing a new retail store experience to the country.

“The new Nike store at Mānawa Bay will be our largest in the country and we look forward to serving consumers through performance and lifestyle products as well as premium experiences and services. Our store is designed to help the community connect more closely with sport through more personalised experiences both in and out of store for members and beyond.”

New tenants announced
More new confirmed tenants set to make Mānawa Bay home include Bendon, Macpac, Canterbury, Ariat, Tech Pro, Mountain Warehouse and making its debut in New Zealand, Timeless Watches.

They join the already announced Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Converse & Hurley, Lorna Jane, The Beauty Boutique, Coach, PUMA, Fila, Under Armour and Flo & Frankie; as well as three confirmed brands with their first ever outlet stores in New Zealand: Kate Spade, Swarovski and Helly Hansen.

“The leasing progress has been going really well and we’re thrilled with the calibre of tenants signing up. We have more than 70% NLA of the centre now in signed Heads of Terms or Agreements to Lease. There really is nothing like Mānawa Bay in New Zealand yet – and we can’t wait to open our doors to the public later this year.”

Thoughtful spaces
Within the centre will be two thoughtfully designed parent/caregiver baby change rooms, gender-neutral bathrooms and an accessible change room for people with complex disabilities.

Taking time out is made easier with a designated reflection room which can be used for multi-faith prayer, plus a separate low-light sensory room.

The centre will also feature unique details throughout to help make the little things easier for shoppers, including locker storage units for bags, electric vehicle and bike charging stations as well as dedicated rideshare pick up and drop off areas.

Construction update
Construction of the 150,000m2 site is aiming to achieve a 5 Green Star rating. The project is currently underway with the internal fit-out, having recently completed the first installation of store fronts in steel. Also being installed are the roof-top solar panels.

It is expected to be the largest rooftop solar system in New Zealand on top of the 35,000m2 building. At 2.3-megawatts, the solar array is planned to support more than 80% of the centre’s anticipated power usage.