lavery, with a focus on higher risk industries such as cleaning and security, and our first Modern Slavery Statement captures this work to encourage continued progress,” said Vicinity CEO and managing director Grant Kelley. Last year, the company underwent a review on how to managed effectively modern slavery risks and environmental including social and governance (ESG) risks within the supply chain. The Responsible Procurement Action Plan was developed and led to key initiatives to ensure the ESG risks are managed within the business’ supply chain. Woolworths completes $57m DC upgrade Woolworths has finalised the $57 million upgrade of its Adelaide Regional Distribution Centre (DC), which will see an expansion in handling 2500 more product lines and improve its supply chain. Woolworths Group’s supply chain and logistics arm, Primary Connect, unveiled the expansion with South Australian premier Steven Marshall and mayor of Port-Adelaide Enfield Claire Boan. The DC has expanded by around 30 per cent and is the same size of four Adelaide Ovals (94,000 square metres). “With this $57m upgrade, we’re better placed than ever to support the essential food and grocery needs of South Australians. The extra capacity at the site will allow us to hold even more key essentials such as pasta, noodles, breakfast cereals and baby food in South Australia. This will shorten delivery lead times on thousands of products across the state — allowing us to better respond to any future surge in demand,” said Woolworths Group’s Primary Connect managing director Paul Graham. The centre will rely heavily on renewable energy, with a 1.6MVA solar array comprising 3500 panels; the largest solar installation in the Primary Connect network. Graham said the multi-million dollar investment in renewable energy will offset around 20 per cent of the facility’s annual energy needs. Oakleigh Central paves way for visually impaired shoppers Property group Vicinity Centres has introduced a new technology for vision impaired shoppers at Oakleigh Central in Melbourne. BindiMaps is a wayfinding system that was developed with input from organisations such as Vision Australia, the Royal Society for the Blind and Guide Dogs NSW/ACT. It allows shoppers to be navigated safely around the shopping mall through text, voice and maps. “For all customers, particularly those with vision impairment, the integration of the BindiMaps app at our centres will fundamentally change lives, making it easier to navigate the shopping centre independently and safely. Accessibility and inclusion are priorities in our strategy to create market leading destinations across the country and this latest technology is another demonstration of our commitment in this area,” said Vicinity’s chief innovation and information officer, Justin Mills. BindiMaps’ chief operating officer, Mladen Jovanovic, added that Vicinity Centres has enhanced accessibility to make it more inclusive for all shoppers. The shopping centre will monitor the performance of BindiMaps and analyse customer feedback to help further deployment opportunities. Eastern Creek Quarter names new tenants Retailers Anaconda, Officeworks and McDonald’s have been confirmed as new major tenants of the Eastern Creek Quarter (ECQ) shopping centre. Frasers Property Australia, which owns the shopping, dining and entertainment precinct, said it will open in early 2022. The shopping centre is looking for homewares, electrical goods, automotive, recreational, outdoor, pet and baby goods tenants, as well as indoor children’s recreation centres and swimming schools. “It adds up to a unique opportunity for quality retailers interested in establishing a presence in a centre that’s convenient to access, beautiful in appearance, comfortable to visit and already a fixture in a diverse and growing local community,” said Frasers Property Australia’s general manager of retail leasing. Anaconda is renting a 1900-square-metre space as it expands nationally, while Officeworks is leasing a 1700-square-metre store. McDonald’s will open a restaurant and drive-thru at a separate site that is integrated with ECQ. The shopping centre is targeting a 5 Star Green Star Design & As Built rating for sustainability and will use a 400 kilowatt solar system to generate energy for the building.