Westfield Woden
Encyclopedia
Woden Town Centre
Woden Town Centre is the main commercial centre of the district of Woden Valley in Canberra, Australia. It is located in the Canberra suburb of Phillip....
in the suburb of Phillip
Phillip, Australian Capital Territory
Phillip is a suburb of Canberra, Australia in the district of Woden Valley. It is located in the centre of the district and contains the district's main commercial centre, Woden Town Centre. The suburb is named after Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales. The suburb name was...
of Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
. Initially constructed in stages during the 1970s, it underwent a major redevelopment in the late 1990s, adding on a new wing to the building called "The Market" as well as a new Hoyts 8-screen cinema complex, and refurbishment of older sections.
The Westfield Group
The Westfield Group
The Westfield Group is an Australian shopping centre group undertaking ownership, development, design, construction, funds/asset management, property management, leasing and marketing activities...
purchased a 50% stake in the complex during 2005, with the remaining 50% still belonging to General Property Trust
General Property Trust
General Property Trust Limited , trading as GPT Group, is an Australian company that is a property investor and manager in Australia, Europe and the United States...
.
Prior to Westfield taking over, the complex was managed by Lend Lease
Lend Lease Corporation
Lend Lease Group is a global property and infrastructure company headquartered in Sydney, Australia...
on behalf of General Property Trust, and branded as Woden Plaza and for a short time Woden Shopping Square.
History
Westfield Woden started out as a relatively small shopping mall and evolved into the substantial mall it is today through a series of expansions.Initially it consisted of Palm Court, which was a two storey rectangular shaped area with an open court in the middle. A few offices and a small restaurant occupied a third level with a balcony overlooking the central court. This court still exists and is the one closest to the bus interchange. The major tenants were David Jones
David Jones Limited
David Jones Limited , colloquially known as DJs, is a high-end Australian department store chain.David Jones was founded in 1838 by David Jones, a Welsh immigrant, and is claimed to be the oldest continuously operating department store in the world still trading under its original name. It...
, a three storey department store and Woolworths
Woolworths (supermarkets)
Woolworths is the largest supermarket chain in Australia, owned by Woolworths Limited.-History:Woolworths Limited was founded in 1924, with the first store opening up in Sydney's Imperial Arcade.-2008 rebranding:...
supermarket. It was named Palm Court as it had a number of palm trees growing surrounded by a cascading water feature. Amongst the palm trees was a staircase well that allowed access to three levels including access to a future fourth level that did not eventuate. Escalators were attached on the northern side of the second storey floor and the up and down escalators were spaced ten metres or so apart.
The next phase of expansion was the construction of Clock Court; this was another rectangular court of about the same size as Palm Court and located to the south of the first and at an angle of ninety degrees. It was named Clock Court as it had a large clock suspended from the ceiling in the corner of the court. Major tenants were Big W
Big W
Big W is one of the largest chain of discount department stores in Australia, with over 150 stores. It is a division of Woolworths Limited, the second largest retailer in Australia. Its main competitors are Kmart and Target, both owned by Wesfarmers....
and Owl supermarket. Owl was later replaced by JB Youngs, a Canberra based variety store.
The next expansion was the addition of Farmers Market, a fresh produce market with a number of prominent grocers from nearby Fyshwick markets selling fruit and vegetables. At the same time a bridge with shops on the bridge was constructed to connect the mall to nearby Bonner House. Areas within Bonner House were converted from office blocks to shopping areas. A licensed tavern began operation in the basement of Bonner House, the tavern was later converted to a gymnasium. A large electrical and furniture retail store, Norman Ross, was built above Farmers Market. It later changed its name to Harvey Norman
Harvey Norman
Harvey Norman is a large Australian-based retailer of electrical, computer, furniture, entertainment and bedding goods. It is effectively a franchise and the main brand owned by Harvey Norman Holdings Limited...
.
The fresh produce area of the mall was not very successful, the addition was out of character with the rest of the mall probably due to the incorrect floor height compared to the rest of the mall. Eventually the area was completely redeveloped into an eatery area with only one of the original grocers remaining. JB Youngs was converted into a new alleyway with small shops on either side.
The next phase of development involved moving Woolworths
Woolworths (supermarkets)
Woolworths is the largest supermarket chain in Australia, owned by Woolworths Limited.-History:Woolworths Limited was founded in 1924, with the first store opening up in Sydney's Imperial Arcade.-2008 rebranding:...
from Palm Court to a new area to the west of Clock Court. This new area also saw the addition of a Coles
Coles Supermarkets
Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741...
supermarket and underground car parking. The remaining grocer in the market relocated to this new area as well. The front entrance to Big W
Big W
Big W is one of the largest chain of discount department stores in Australia, with over 150 stores. It is a division of Woolworths Limited, the second largest retailer in Australia. Its main competitors are Kmart and Target, both owned by Wesfarmers....
was relocated to allow for the expansion and Big W also took the opportunity to expand itself. An 8 cinema Hoyts
Hoyts
The Hoyts Group is an Australian company consisting of Hoyts Exhibition, Hoyts Distribution and Val Morgan.Hoyts Exhibition manages 450 screens across 40 Australian and 10 New Zealand cinema complexes; making it Australia's second largest cinema chain. Val Morgan, the cinema advertising arm of the...
complex was constructed behind Big W attached to the redeveloped eatery.
Palm Court was redeveloped with the water feature being replaced by a large painted metal diorama/statue of a farmer working the ground with a trowel. This was later moved to the entrance of the under-storey car park below the supermarkets, the staircase in Palm Court was demolished and the escalators relocated to the present position now connected to the eastern side of the rectangle and angled as 45 degrees. The open areas of Clock Court and Palm Court were reduced in size to allow for coffee shops on the second storey.
Stores
Among the 250 stores, the major tenants include- Woolworths
- ColesColes SupermarketsColes Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741...
- David JonesDavid Jones LimitedDavid Jones Limited , colloquially known as DJs, is a high-end Australian department store chain.David Jones was founded in 1838 by David Jones, a Welsh immigrant, and is claimed to be the oldest continuously operating department store in the world still trading under its original name. It...
- Big WBig WBig W is one of the largest chain of discount department stores in Australia, with over 150 stores. It is a division of Woolworths Limited, the second largest retailer in Australia. Its main competitors are Kmart and Target, both owned by Wesfarmers....
- Harvey NormanHarvey NormanHarvey Norman is a large Australian-based retailer of electrical, computer, furniture, entertainment and bedding goods. It is effectively a franchise and the main brand owned by Harvey Norman Holdings Limited...
- Dick Smith ElectronicsDick Smith ElectronicsDick Smith is an international electronics retailer, founded in 1968 by Richard "Dick" Smith. Today, it is a subsidiary of Woolworths Limited, incorporating Tandy, and the remaining Dick Smith Powerhouse Stores...
Powerhouse - JB Hi-FiJB Hi-FiJB Hi-Fi is an Australian CD, DVD, Blu-ray disc, video game and consumer electronics chain store.-History:JB Hi-Fi was established in Melbourne suburb of Keilor East by John Barbuto in 1974...
- HoytsHoytsThe Hoyts Group is an Australian company consisting of Hoyts Exhibition, Hoyts Distribution and Val Morgan.Hoyts Exhibition manages 450 screens across 40 Australian and 10 New Zealand cinema complexes; making it Australia's second largest cinema chain. Val Morgan, the cinema advertising arm of the...
, with 8 cinemas - McDonald'sMcDonald'sMcDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
- The Coffee Club
- Hungry Jack'sHungry Jack'sHungry Jack's Pty Ltd, often colloquially abbreviated to HJ's, Hungry's or Hungie's, is the exclusive Australian master fast food franchisee of Burger King Corporation. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Competitive Foods Australia, a privately held company owned by Jack Cowin...