Eagerly Anticipated Reopening Of Palms Shopping Centre

Media Release September 2011

Eagerly Anticipated Reopening Of Palms Shopping Centre

Each day, more businesses reopen their doors in Christchurch offering an expanded range of retail and services to residents and visitors. The Palms Shopping Centre in Shirley, a vital community hub in the eastern suburbs of Christchurch, will open its doors on Thursday 8 September for the first time since the 22 February earthquake.

The much anticipated reopening of The Palms will be a milestone event and celebration for the local community and greater Christchurch. Not only will the reopening provide a shopping destination for customers, it will see a return to ‘business as usual’ in the eastern suburbs with employment and business opportunities.

Several exciting changes will be unveiled on Thursday 8 September, revealing a wide range of newly re-fitted stores showcasing their latest look and the expansion of Noel Leeming and Whitcoulls stores. BNZ, Cotton On and Dick Smith have also expanded and will open later in the year. The Palms is pleased to announce that Kathmandu has joined the retail offering and will open soon. The centre has also been refreshed with new-look furniture, lighting and a refurbished parent’s room.

The Palms Shopping Centre manager Keryn Ward says, “We are excited to be just around the corner from reopening our doors. Our community has been through some hard times and deserves something to look forward to. I know the reopening of the centre will provide a much-needed boost for our community.

“Safety has always been our number one priority and we have had a dedicated team of experts working with us during our remedial programme. All repair and refurbishing work has been completed to an exemplary standard.”

More than 80 stores will open on Thursday 8 September. Reading Cinemas, Kmart and Farmers will open later in the year, while additional re-fitting work is being carried out. There will be other stores opening at a later date also. Visit www.thepalms.co.nz for a list of stores with delayed openings.

While The Palms has been closed, Life Pharmacy operated out of a caravan in the car park, offering an invaluable prescription only service. The Palms hired a coffee van to circulate free coffee to the community. In addition, The Palms provided a free sports shuttle to transport school students to and from games and practices and gave away $100,000 to deserving community organisations affected by the earthquakes.

The Palms will welcome customers back to the centre at 9am on Thursday 8 September.

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