SHOPPING CENTRE

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30712, 30 March 1965, Page 1

SHOPPING CENTRE

Departmental

Store

A departmental store with supermarket facilities will be opened by the New Zealand Farmers’ Co-operative Association of Canterbury, Ltd. in Riccarton Mall, the £500,000 shopping centre being built in Riccarton.

The company is the first to complete negotiations for leasing one of the shops in the centre, which is being built on land bounded by Riccarton road. Division, Matipo. and Maxwell streets. Its store will be the biggest, occupying 15.500 sq. ft of ground floor space and having a mezzanine floor of about 3500 sq. ft. All the retail departments to be found in the city shop will be available, and there will be added supermarket features. A staff of 60 to 70 will be engaged, with the nucleus coming from the existing Fanners’ organisation. The shop will be the eighth suburban branch of the company, and by far the largest. The company’s policy of taking shops to the suburbs began in 1957. Mr R. R. Livingstone, a principal of the company developing the site and building the mall. Slid last evening that other companies had confirmed leases for the shons—there would be about 20— but the Farmers’ was the first to announce its plans.

In spite of a set-back with the weather, good progress was being made with the foundations. Mr Livingstone said. It was planned to open the mall in October or November.