Spotlight Property Group will open its $100 million retail centre on the Pacific Highway at Bennetts Green on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 30,000 square-metre site has been transformed over the past year from grass paddocks into a diverse retail and commercial complex.
The centre will house retailers Spotlight, Anaconda and Harris Scarfe; hardware giant Bunnings, which will relocate from Belmont; furniture store Nick Scali; and fast-food restaurants KFC and McDonalds.
Super Cheap Auto, Petstock, a Trek Bicycle store and a BP service station will also open at the site.
"This development has been over seven years in the planning for the Spotlight Holdings Group and demonstrates how confident the business is in the growth and development of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie region," Spotlight Holdings Group executive chairman Zac Fried said on Friday.
"We are thrilled to have successfully brought this outstanding retail development to the local community."
The first business to open its doors on Saturday will be outdoor adventure retailer Anaconda.
"Bennetts Green Anaconda will be the go-to store for all of your camping, fishing, hiking and adventure needs, all located under one roof," Anaconda project manager Andrew Fader said.
"We are excited to be the first store to open in the new centre and our expert team is looking forward to continuing to help the local community plan their outdoor adventures."
More than 600 jobs local jobs were created by the development of the retail centre, which now has an almost 100 per cent occupancy rate.
Bunnings is due to open before the end of the year, as are most other businesses. New traffic lights have been installed on the Pacific Highway 150 metres south of the Groves Road intersection to access the centre.
Spotlight and Anaconda are relocating from their existing premises on the corner of National Park and Hunter streets in Newcastle West.
Mr Fried said Spotlight Holdings Group would lodge a development application for a mixed-use development on the site in 2021.
The Bennetts Green centre is the largest retail development built in Lake Macquarie since the 2010 extension of Charlestown Square.
The site previously had approval for a Masters, but was sold to the Spotlight Group after the hardware chain's collapse.
Lake Macquarie council had sold the land to a Masters' holding company in 2016 for $20.3 million.
Anaconda will hold an official opening ceremony at 8am on Saturday with live music, balloon twisting, free coffee and ice creams and an appearance from Woody & Jessie from Toy Story.
READ MORE
