Once the largest shopping centre in the Southern Hemisphere, Roselands Shopping Centre holds a special place in Sydney’s retail history. Today, we’ll delve into the story of this iconic destination.
Roselands Shopping Centre is located about 18 kilometers southwest of Sydney’s central business district. This major regional shopping centre has three levels. It boasts over 110 specialty stores. Roselands is anchored by Myer, Kmart, ALDI, Coles, and Woolworths.
Before Roselands Shopping Centre, the site had a rich history. In 1883, Belmore House, a country manor, was built here. Later, in 1946, the Roselands Golf Club opened. The golf club got its name from a local resident’s beautiful rose garden.
Construction of Roselands Shopping Centre began in June 1964. Grace Brothers, Limited developed the enclosed mall. Sydney’s Whitehead & Payne firm designed it. The cost to build the mall was 12 million pounds.
Premier Robert Askin of New South Wales dedicated the mall on October 12, 1965. At that time, Roselands Shopping Centre was the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Its anchor store was a four-level Grace Brothers. It was the largest suburban department store in Australia.
Roselands Shopping Centre featured innovative concepts. The Marketplace Level included one of the world’s earliest food courts. It was called the 4 Corners Gourmet and had 14 bays. The Gallery Level had a Child-Minding Centre. Closed-circuit television allowed parents to monitor their children from the mall.
Besides Grace Brothers, Roselands housed several “mini-major” shops. These included Katies Fashion Store, Coles Variety Store, and Coles New World supermarket. Other amenities included medical and dental offices. There was also a laundromat and a Town Hall. Roselands Theatre Beautiful was a single-screen cinema with 420 seats.
Roselands Shopping Centre lost its title as the largest in the Southern Hemisphere in less than a year. Bankstown Square surpassed it in size on September 21, 1966.
An expansion of Roselands Shopping Centre was approved in December 1978. The 14 million Australian dollar extension finished in September 1981. The renovation added two levels of covered parking and shopping space.
Myer Emporium, Limited acquired Grace Brothers in June 1983. Later, G.J. Coles & Coy acquired Myer in August 1985. The consolidated enterprise became Coles Myer Properties, Limited.
Target opened a prototype “new look” store at Roselands on September 25, 1986. Renovations between March 1991 and August 1992 reconfigured Level 1 into a food hall.
The Centro Properties Group and Abu Dhabi Investment Council acquired the complex in July 1998. A 21 million dollar refurbishment was underway by 1999. The Level 3 food facility became the Raindrop Foodcourt.
The revitalized Roselands Shopping Centre was dedicated on December 12, 2000. Over 13,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space was added. The number of stores increased to 171.
In January 2004, Centro Properties Group rebranded Roselands as Centro Roselands. In January 2015, the name reverted to Roselands Shopping Centre.
A large-scale expansion plan was abandoned in February 2017 due to disagreements. A scaled-down refurbishment of 90 million dollars was announced.
The Level 1 Fresh Food Hall was reconfigured as The Market. The first phase of this project was dedicated on September 26, 2019. Among the new stores were Aldi, Delicassella, Fruitworld, and Costi Brothers Seafood. Woolworths opened on October 30, 2019.
Today, Roselands Shopping Centre covers approximately 63,643 square meters. It has over 110 specialty stores. Roselands attracts around 8 million annual visits. It remains a vital shopping destination in Sydney’s southwest. The Markets fresh food precinct is one of Sydney’s best. Roselands Shopping Centre continues to evolve. It adapts to meet the needs of its community.