Home Property Australia Shopping centre shifts gears with automall

Shopping centre shifts gears with automall

  • February 23, 2021

AMP Capital has joined forces with one of the nation’s biggest automotive retail groups to bring the showroom and service centre inside a shopping centre.

 

  Why we love this project:

  • Eagers Automotive’s AutoMall will open at AMP Capital’s Indooroopilly Shopping Centre in Brisbane’s inner-west, marking a shift in the way cars are marketed, purchased and serviced in Australia
  • AutoMall West is expected to open in December 2021 and will be the first of its kind in Australia
  • Multiple car brands will be represented in a purpose-built, one-stop destination for new and used vehicle purchasing, servicing and maintenance.

 

Marco Ettorre, AMP Capital’s head of retail and investments for real estate, says the partnership with Eagers Automotive is in response to customer feedback and the changing nature of shopping centres.

“This partnership is a coming together of the future of car sales and the future of retail,” Ettorre says.

“We know from our research that customers are seeking a broader offer beyond the traditional retail mix when visiting their local shopping centre. This includes new experiences, a broader mix of services and stores with a greater level of convenience.

“The AutoMall West at Indooroopilly is just one of the new exciting usages that we are creating that customers will come to expect in the shopping centre of the future,” Ettorre adds.

The AutoMall West at Indooroopilly will comprise a 12-bay roof-top ‘quick service’ facility, with customer drop-off and pick-up within the existing shopping centre car park. This means customers can get their car serviced on site while they shop.

An express-service online booking system will allow customers to nominate the two-hour period in the day that best suits them.

Directly below the service bay – and within the shopping centre proper – will be 2,400 square metres of brand-new car sales showroom. The space has been designed by Sydney-based Public Design Group and will feature a children’s playground and café.

Test drives of new vehicles will be conducted from the AutoMall and customers will be able to order and take delivery of new cars from the comfort of VIP delivery bays. At least eight new car brands are expected to be represented at opening.

Keith Thornton, Eagers Automotive’s chief operating officer, says “what customers are looking for in a car shopping experience has changed”.

“By bringing our car sales operation into the familiarity of a shopping centre environment, we’re simply modernising our offering. It’s an Australian first that we couldn’t be more excited about.”