Thousands of people visited Westfield Kotara today to celebrate the opening of its new Youth and Urban Precinct – a key milestone in the evolution of one of Newcastle’s most loved living centre. As part of this $160 million transformation, today’s opening features 30 new and relocated specialty stores. Final updates to the centre will be completed ahead of Christmas.
Once complete, Westfield Kotara will offer a unique dining, entertainment, premium fashion and lifestyle experience for the whole family to enjoy – making it a full-service destination unlike anything else in the region.
Official Opening Celebrations at Westfield Kotara
Carefully curated to appeal to the Hunter’s young community, the new Youth and Urban Precinct located next to H&M is synonymous with the region’s surf, skate and lifestyle culture and includes a diverse mix of retailers.
Westfield Kotara’s biggest drawcards include first-to-market gaming experiences from JB-Hi Fi and EB Games with Zing Pop, which opened today, as well as first-to-market retailers like Mr and Mrs Jones, W Hair Bar and Espresso Warriors. Other new and relocated retailers opening today include Carla Swimwear, Surf Dive n Ski, Platypus, Industrie, YD, Connor, Universal Store, SK Menswear and Johnny Bigg.
Westfield Kotara, the newest destination for Newcastle customers
In the coming months, Westfield Kotara will continue to welcome more exciting new fashion, health and entertainment retailers, as well as the much-anticipated extension of The Rooftop. It will be home to the only large format David Jones and Newcastle’s first Zara, as well as Timezone, Kmart, Billini, Gorman, The Academy Brand and the much adored local brand, Savant Apothecary.
Westfield Kotara new Youth and Urban precinct
“This redevelopment is a direct response to our customers’ wants and needs. Part of this was to hand-pick the right mix of international retailers that complemented Westfield Kotara’s local retail offer”, says Centre Manager Kate Murphy.
“We had the opportunity to reimagine not only our premium fashion, lifestyle and entertainment line-up, but our youth offer as well. The new precinct provides a dedicated space for our young customers to gather, socialise, enjoy and keep coming back to” said Murphy.
Universal Store Opening
Bright and airy, the new Urban and Youth Precinct is designed to bring the outdoors in. An incredible skylight scales the curved ceiling, adorning the space with natural light. The new precinct also features a large-scale native floral themed artwork by Sydney-based, and internationally recognised fine artist, Scott Marsh.
The redevelopment brings improved access to and from the centre, as well as Park+, Westfield’s state-of-the-art parking management system. Changes include the addition of 500 new car spaces across the centre, starting with Level 1 re-opening today.
Still to come, the new Level 3 car park will feature both outdoor and undercover car spaces and a solar-powered shade canopy, as part of the centre’s broader sustainability upgrades.
