National and international retailers are descending upon the Kiwi capital, with six new stores having recently opened or are about to in Wellington’s CBD this month. 

Ty Dallas, retail leasing specialist at Colliers International, says national and international retailers are giving the city a vote of confidence with six new stores opening or are about to open in March: Trelise Cooper, Rembrandt, Stewart Dawsons, Platypus, Vodafone and Adairs. 

“Following the success of the David Jones department store, we have seen an unprecedented demand for retail space in Wellington from national and international retailers,” Dallas said. “In my 17-year leasing career, this number of store openings in the city in one month is unheard of.

“It reflects the real positivity in the market.”

The ‘full house’ sign is about to go up on Lambton Quay, which is now effectively 99 per cent occupied, said Dallas.

Only 500sqm of vacant space is still available out of a total of 49,000sqm of retail space on the premier shopping strip. 

“Australasian retailers are queuing up to get in and are frustrated by the lack of available space, particularly on Lambton Quay,” Dallas said.

“Property investor confidence is high as a result, with a recent Colliers research survey showing investors in Wellington retail property are more confident than they have been in eight years.”

Dallas said two of the new stores – Platypus and Adairs – are Australia-based and, like many other Australian retailers, view New Zealand as a natural extension of their own market.

“A lot of retailers are at saturation point in Australia and are now looking to New Zealand to increase their balance sheet.

“Off the back of the recent success of other Australian retailers such as David Jones and Wittner opening here, Wellington is becoming known as the city of global brands.”

David Jones’ Wellington store is the first in New Zealand to offer several international brands including Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Valentino and Saint Laurent.

The new stores

One of New Zealand’s most influential fashion designers, Trelise Cooper, has opened a 191sqm flagship boutique at 163 Featherston St, next door to Melbourne-based footwear retailer Wittner and near the David Jones store.

“The new Trelise Cooper store is in my opinion one of the best looking fashion stores in the country,” said Dallas. “The glamorous fitout can be favourably compared with stores on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles or Fifth Avenue in New York.”

Trelise Cooper marketing director Julia Leuchars said the company chose the location after weighing up various options.

Last week, New Zealand menswear brand Rembrandt opened its eighth store, in a former police station building. It offers a full range of menswear including tailor-made suits and suit hire services.

After 116 years on the corner of Lambton Quay and Willis Street, which is known as Stewart Dawsons corner, the jewellery retailer will soon open a new 100sqm store four doors away from its original site, in the former Mimco premises at 342 Lambton Quay. Mimco has consolidated its position into the David Jones department store.

Melbourne-based footwear retailer Platypus is opening its 87th store on the corner of the James Smith building on the corner of Cuba and Manners Streets on March 22. It is the chain’s 13th store in New Zealand and the retailer has committed $650,000 for a cutting-edge international-standard fitout.

Vodafone is also soon to complete a high-tech fitout for a 246sqm flagship store at Lambton Quay.

Also Australian homeware and manchester retailer Adairs has just opened its third store in New Zealand at Capital Gateway Shopping Centre on Thorndon Quay. It offers a fashion-forward range of bed linen, towels, cushions, homewares, furniture and related products.

Dallas said the strong activity in the housing market has encouraged Adairs’ expansion in New Zealand. The retailer has 140 stores across the Tasman.

He added more international retailers were coming to Wellington soon but could not be revealed who they were for commercially sensitive reasons.

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