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Four units are available for lease in a new retail development in the centre of Warkworth, anchored by a Countdown supermarket which is due to open in mid October.

The units are being marketed by Peter Gorton and Euan Stratton of Colliers International on behalf of Progressive Enterprises, Countdown’s parent company.

The supermarket and new shops are located on Neville St, the main thoroughfare which feeds traffic off State Highway One to the centre of town and the Queen St shopping strip. The four retail units all have street frontage to Neville St.

The development will provide convenient and accessible shopping with 147 basement car parks and is adjacent to Warkworth’s well-established central retail area, Gorton says. “The units are well suited to specialty shops, services and convenience retailers, and we are keen to see a good mix of retailers providing a complementary offering alongside the supermarket.”

Stratton says a café would make an ideal tenant for one of the units, as would local clothing retailers, services such as a hair salon or real estate agency and other food outlets such as a bakery. “There are many retailers which could benefit from this central and easily-accessed location and add to the service retail mix the development is intended to provide.”

Brady Nixon, property development manager at Progressive Enterprises, says the supermarket and retail units have been architecturally designed to provide an attractive addition to central Warkworth.

“We wanted the development to complement the existing town centre, so we employed ASC Architects to design a concept that would be empathetic with the established local area. Therefore we have provided semi- concealed basement parking, accessed via travellators, and we aim to enhance pedestrian traffic by connecting the supermarket with the town centre.”

John Sofo, director of ASC Architects, says the firm designed the development in a way that would cause it to fit “sensitively” into the established town centre.

“Working within an established urban area always brings unique challenges, especially for larger developments, but we were careful to ensure the architectural character of the buildings respond to the context of the streetscape around them,” he says.

As a result, the visual impact of the development has been mitigated along Neville St and contained within the existing character of Mill Lane on the other side of the property, owing to the construction of a “bold but recessive structure”.

Construction is nearing completion with the glazed shop fronts recently having been installed and work beginning on the interiors, Gorton says.

“This is the latest and greatest example of Progressive’s supermarket and retail developments, with the quality of the design showing the company’s commitment to becoming part of Warkworth town centre,” he says.

Prospective tenants will have the opportunity to discuss fitout options with the developers, says Gorton.

The units are all of similar size, between 76sq m and 82sq m, and are arranged along Neville St adjacent to the main entrance to the supermarket. Further flexibility is available to prospective tenants requiring larger space, with two or more of the units able to be combined to create a larger tenancy.

Warkworth is ideally positioned to benefit from the large numbers of weekend and holiday visitors to the Omaha area, as well as being the main service centre for a large residential catchment, says Stratton.

“Lifestyle blocks, retirement housing and holiday homes are key features of the area. Therefore, the shops in Warkworth are busy throught the week with local customers from throughout the region, but they also enjoy the added bonus of extra business from holidaymakers passing through the town.”

Warkworth is the key service centre for the north Rodney district, which is one of New Zealand’s fastest-growing areas, Stratton says.

“The area has been identified as a key growth node in the Auckland Regional Growth Strategy, with well-planned and sustainable development being a vital part of the growth which is needed to support and service the increasing local population.”

If current population growth patterns are maintained, it is estimated that Rodney will have a population of around 117,000 by 2021, nearly 53% more than in 2001, says Stratton. “The area’s rapid growth is fuelled by the attractiveness of its coastline and lifestyle opportunities and the location just an hour north of Auckland.”

Warkworth also acts as the gateway to the Matakana wine region and well-known farmers’ market, providing a further tourist draw.

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