$4M mall opens doors to shoppers

Press, 4 October 1977, Page 14

$4M mall opens doors to shoppers

The new S4M Hornby Shopping Mall opened its doors to shoppers for the first time today and gave them their first opportunity to see the South Islands’ biggest and most modern shopping complex. Stage One or the brand new mall, with its 17 retail shops was officially opened this morning, after almost two years of planning and construction. Shoppers in the area are now offered the most up-to-date retail facilities in the South Island with a mall which really can be considered a one-stop shopping centre. Virtually every retail service a shopper could need is to be found in the new mall.

The new complex is on the block bounded by Carmen Road, Chalmers Street to the rear, and the Main South Road on the south side. It is on the largest piece of commercially zoned land in the Hornby town centre and has good traffic access from all sides.

Designed and built by Industrial Holdings, Ltd, and its subsidiary. Morcom Construction, Ltd, the Hornby Mall is a steel framed structure with precast concrete walls. Spreading over an area of 82,751 sq. ft the mall, when stage two is completed, will provide 65,000 sq. ft of retail space. Extensive car parking areas, fully sealed with all kerbing and channelling to prevent any drainage problems, will be available between the mall frontage and parking space for 570 cars will be provided with the possibility that there will be space for another 400 parking spaces on adjacent land. Last month, on September 12, the Canter-

bury Savings Bank opened its new Hornby branch office, in the Hornby Mall building. The Canterbury Savings Bank is the only occupant in the mall which owns its premises. The bank has a floor area of 6000 sq. ft and has nine tellers’ counters and two offices.

Today, stage one of the mall was opened and in six months time the second stage of the mall should be completed. This will provide another 19 shops, a department store, a licenced restaurant, professional offices and the largest Super Value supermarket in the South Island.

The Hornby Mall is the first fully air conditioned and centrally heated mall in the South Island. The 50.25 M oil-fired heating plant, a feature of Auckland shopping complexes at Manakau, North Shore and Down Town in the city, is, a first for the South Island. By having one boiler room heating the entire complex expenses will cost about one third of the cost of heating individual shops. The developers are confident that the extensive landscaping which will be provided — mainly in the form of flax and mature trees — will be superior to that seen around any New Zealand shopping complex. Walkways in cobblestone paving, trees planted through the car park and lighting, for night shopping and security reasons, will achieve an atmosphere not unlike that of the Chateau Commodore by night. A 30ft high illuminated sign; the Capital ‘H’ logo for the Mall, will be erected on the comer of

Carmen and Main South Roads.

The designers of the Mall have made full use of natural lighting. Large panels of glass above the central walkway of the mall let the sunlight in to the extent that electric lighting is not needed during the day at least in the central section of the mall. The whole lighting system is controlled by solar switching — when the natural light level

falls, the electric lights come on.

Piped music will play inside the Mall and this sound system will be linked to every shop. There is also an automatic paging system which reaches as far as the car parking area. This system will provide a safety communication system in case of an emergency as the whole sound system can be taken over by police or fire brigade by the flick of an exterior switch to pro-

vide communication throughout the Mall. The design and facilities found in the new mall give the customer top priority. In the centre of the enclosed central thoroughfare there is a large promotional area where displays, competitions and other mall activities can be held.

Rest benches . are provided for shoppers and there is a coffee bar included in the mall. Another facility that Hornby

has been without for sometime has also been provided within the mall — the town’s only public toilets and rest room. However, these will be open only during trading hours.

The Hornby Mall is owned by G.U.S. Wholesalers, Ltd, the Canterbury Savings Bank and Industrail Holdings, Ltd, G.U.S. Properties will be responsible for the management of the entire

centre, including the existing shops and proposed supermarket. Late shopping night at Hornby and the new mall will be Friday and the mall will be open for the usual shopping hours of 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. The choice of late shopping night may be reviewed before the second stage of the mall opens but Saturday shopping is not being considered at least not in the immediate period.