Billed as Melbourne CBD’s largest shopping centre development to date, the highly anticipated Emporium finally celebrated its arrival with a celebrity studded opening party last night. While the fully leased, $1.2 billion centre may have opened its doors to the public in April, the shopping complex celebrated its official launch last night with an extravagant gala designed by Australian film director, Baz Luhrmann. The event was a tribute to all things Melbourne, including the iconic Melbo
urne Cup, the Australian Open, and Dame Edna. Created as a walking theatre experience for the event’s 1500 guests, the ground floor of the centre was divided into bespoke areas telling the history of Melbourne in typical, over the top Baz Luhrmann style.
Owned by CFS Retail Property Trust and the Singapore-based GIC, the 46,000sqm complex was originally planned to open before Christmas last year, however, was plagued by construction delays and industrial disputes. Since opening months later in April 2014, the centre has seen more than five million customers walk through its doors.
Located on the site of the former Myer Lonsdale St store with connections to Myer and David Jones’ city stores and the renovated Melbourne Central complex, the centre houses more than 220 local and international retailers, including Australia’s first Uniqlo, Zoo York, UCLA, and Kate Spade stores, as well as the country’s largest Topshop/Topman.
Angus McNaughton, MD of property at Colonial First State Global Asset Management, said the event put Emporium on the map.
The Emporium development has been seven years in the making, with the project initially started before the GFC, which McNaughton said “made for an interesting journey”.
“Building a seven level, $1.2 billion iconic project in the middle of the Melbourne is not without its challenges and not for the faint hearted,” he said.