Development News

Brand new eateries are here - Dine at Bayfair

May 2019

Our brand new, all-weather alfresco dining precinct, Dine at Bayfair opened 11am on Thursday 30th May and we are so excited, come and get your eat ON! Our tastebuds are embracing all the delicious flavours at Burger Burger, Mexico, Nando’s, IZAKAI, Katsubi, The Freeport Tavern and Eatery (a collaboration with Little Creatures) and Cleaver & Co The Mount.

We’re super-excited that our new dining hotspots include a variety of family-friendly, casual and licensed venues, so you can now get whatever dining experience you crave just down the road - whether you’re after a family brunch, coffee catch-up, date night or just need a little sustenance break in the midst of your shopping!

While many locals will already be familiar with Auckland’s infamous Burger Burger, you’ll no doubt be stoked to know its first Tauranga restaurant will spread what the brand is known for: A love of good food, good people and good times. Burger Burger has something for everyone and will also have Sawmill beer on tap.

Renowned for its street-food-inspired menu and immersive dining style, Mexico offers a quality dining experience that’s actually affordable. The team at Mexico are serious about serving really good food and liquor, and making their customers feel great… Not to mention they mix a mean margarita!

Nando’s is the home of PERi-PERi chicken. Marinated for over 48hours in their world famous PERi-PERi marinade and then grilled to succulent perfection for your choice of basting. From Extra Bloody Hot to Lemon & Herb, there’s a spice level to suit all – and let’s not forget their PERi-PERi chips

IZAKAI may not be a familiar name, but the experience it offers is guaranteed to impress. Founded by a Bay local, it was inspired by a Japanese izakaya, an intimate space with a long bar where food and drink are served, but with the added twist of Māori ingredients and history.

The Freeport Tavern and Eatery has a philosophy of the simple things done well, they have installed a woodfired pizza oven and partnered with Little Creature Brewery in Auckland to offer a range of beers on top. The menu is designed to be shared and together with its wine list, will be changed with the seasons.

If you love low and slow smoked brisket ribs or you just want to quench your thirst with one of the nation’s finest beverages, then you need to visit Cleaver & Co The Mount.

The new eateries make perfect neighbours for the recently opened Timezone complex and the planned cinema (due to open in the next stage of our development).

Bayfair welcomes new stores in March and April!

March 2019

Over the coming weeks new stores will continue to open across Bayfair and we couldn't be more excited. Merric will be re-opening their doors on Thursday 14th March next to Mirrou. On Friday, Charm will be relocating to their brand new store and we will be welcoming mens and womens streetwear fashion brand Lower and vairety goods retail store A2Z to the centre. You will find all of these stores opposite Stirling Sports and Pricewise. Towards the end of the month we will also be opening a brand new Amazon Surf in the same area.

In April we welcome The Soccer Shop who will be located next to Amazon at our new Entrance off Farm Street (there will be a brand new outdoor kids play area and more landscaping coming too!). And on the other side of the centre, located just outside our entrance between Seed and Kathmandu will be Timezone.

Make sure you stay tuned as we’ll announce more stores in the coming weeks including exciting newcomers to the Bay in our new dining area opening soon.

More than 30 new stores just days away, including Seed Heritage, The Source Bulk Foods, Peter Alexander and more

NOVEMBER 2018

The countdown is ON here at Bayfair, with just two weeks until we open the first stage of our massive $115 million development! There are more than 30 new stores opening on December 6, and we couldn’t be more excited about the brands we have joining us.

We hope you’re ready for this - Seed Heritage, The Source Bulk Foods, Peter Alexander and Cotton On Mega are coming to the Bay for the first time, along with Dotti, Macpac, Portmans, Jacqui E and The Cosmetic Clinic. Not only that but Rodd & Gunn and Max will expand into brand-new, larger stores and Merric, The Coffee Club and Dominos will return. Woohoo!

And all this is in addition to Mecca Maxima, Platypus Shoes, Redcurrent, Collette, Mirrou, yd, Barkers (including its new Groom Room barbershop concept) and Stirling Sports. Our brand-spanking new Countdown store’s shelves are also filling fast as they prepare to open in their fresh new site. Can you tell how excited we are?!

We’re so stoked to one step closer to having it all – alfresco dining, superb entertainment and the best in retail, all under one roof in our favourite neighbourhood by the best beach in the world.

Seed Heritage is a leading Australasian brand, specialising in fashion-forward, beautifully designed collections for women, teens, children and infants, while zero-waste natural whole foods retailer The Source Bulk Foods represents a leap forward in our commitment to sustainability. The Source stocks unbranded, unpackaged bulk whole foods and health foods, including organic, paleo, gluten-friendly, dairy-free and vegan products. BYO jars and containers, taste new flavours and watch your favourite nut butters being made fresh in store. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Stay tuned as we continue releasing info over the coming weeks, including details of the loads of incredible giveaways we’ll have at our stage one opening party on December 6! Can’t wait to see you there and celebrate with you.

Mecca Maxima is coming! And Platypus! And ...

OCTOBER 2018

Things are getting super-exciting here at Bayfair - we have so many new brands joining us as we count down to the opening of the first phase of our expansion soon. We could not be more thrilled that the incredible Mecca Maxima will be one of the key stores anchoring an expanded mix of specialty fashion, beauty and gift stores in our new precinct. The Mecca Maxima Bayfair store will stock a wide range of global cosmetics, skincare, hair, body and fragrance brands.

Not only that, but we’re also welcoming Platypus Shoes and Redcurrent (just in time for Christmas shopping!). There’ll also be a Barkers, with a Groom Room barbershop concept, Colette by Colette Hayman, and New Zealand’s first brand new concept Stirling Sports store for all you. This is, of course, on top of Mirrou and yd. which will open before the rest of the stores in the first phase.have recently opened in our existing centre.

The completed Bayfair development will have 50 more specialty stores, an alfresco dining precinct, a fresh new Countdown supermarket, as well as the Bay of Plenty’s largest cinema complex - with seven screens and more than 1300 seats.

And of course you already know about United Cinemas opening in the final stage, and Little Creatures gastropub - They will be opening mid 2019.

Make sure you stay tuned as we’ll continue to announce more newcomers to the Bay over the coming weeks. We’ve secured some of the most desirable brands in Australasia, giving you more sophisticated and diverse shopping options than ever before.

United Cinemas and Little Creatures commit to the Bay

Entertainment is an important part of Bayfair’s future, which is why we’re delighted to welcome United Cinemas, international craft beer gastropub, Little Creatures, and Cleaver & Co bar and restaurant to Bayfair, as part of our $115m development.

United Cinemas is an Australian-owned, award-winning chain of cinemas, owned and operated by the Mustaca family, who’ve been in the cinema business since 1987. While United Cinemas already boasts 46 theatres across Australia, Bayfair will be its first New Zealand cinema complex with seven screens and United’s “Grand Theatre” set to house the largest screen and Dolby Atmos Digital Sound offering in the region.

United Cinemas Australia chairman Roy Mustaca says they chose Bayfair because we’ll offer one of the most compelling fashion, lifestyle and entertainment experiences in the country.

“We want to be a part of the transformation and offer the people of the Bay of Plenty region an exceptional cinema experience. Each cinema will feature plush stadium seating, 300 electric grand recliners and our a la carte in-theatre dining menu delivering quality food and beverage to patrons’ seats. With the latest projection and 360-degree Dolby Atmos sound, the cinema will deliver a world class movie experience.”

Not only that, but Australian craft beer brewer Little Creatures is joining us, too - another first for the Bay. Off the back of its first New Zealand opening in Hobsonville, Auckland, our Little Creatures gastropub is scheduled to open in mid 2019, in our new alfresco dining precinct.

A mecca for craft beer enthusiasts, the venue will offer well-known and loved Little Creatures beers, alongside other quality beers from New Zealand and overseas. Not just for beer-lovers, there will be a great range of food and wine, too, so you and your mates can enjoy a Little Creatures experience all day - from morning coffee through to dinner and drinks.

New Countdown goes single-use plastic bag free

We’ll soon have a brand-spanking new Countdown supermarket with no single-use plastic bags!
Although not new to the centre, Countdown will have a fresh look, relocating from its existing location to a newly built supermarket at the Harris and Carter Streets end of the centre.

Countdown's General Manager Property Adrian Walker says Countdown is excited to bring a modern look to Bayfair Shopping Centre. “The new Countdown will have some fantastic new features for the community including fresh, new look produce, deli and seafood departments.”

Much like Bayfair itself, Countdowns across the country are focusing on environmental responsibility and the new store will be no different. "We have a strategy across all our stores to reduce our environmental footprint, and the new Bayfair store will have a focus on next generation energy and reducing carbon emissions, to support our target to reduce our carbon emissions to 10 per cent below our 2015 levels by 2020,” says Mr Walker.

"As part of our commitment to be single-use plastic carrier bag free by the end of 2018, the new Countdown Bayfair will open being single-use plastic carrier bag free."

Bayfair Shopping Centre breaks ground as $115 million development

13 December 2017

Bayfair Shopping Centre’s $115 million development has been given the green light.

The highly-anticipated development will give customers 50 more specialty stores, including a strong fashion mix new to the region, an all-weather alfresco dining precinct, the Bay of Plenty’s largest cinema complex - with seven screens and more than 1300 seats - and a new (relocated) Countdown supermarket.

The investment signals significant confidence in Bayfair and the Bay of Plenty region.
“Bayfair serves an important role in the wider community as a major shopping destination in the region, which is experiencing significant economic and population growth and huge seasonal surges in tourism. As the region grows, we want to grow with it, and the development is part of future-proofing for that growth,” says Bayfair Centre Manager Steve Ellingford.

The vision for Bayfair is to be the region’s year-round retail and entertainment destination, loved by a proud community.

Speaking of the development, Tauranga Mayor Greg Brownless congratulated the Bayfair team and AMP Capital, the owners of Bayfair Shopping Centre, on the successful launch of the first stage of this significant development. “It really marks a major milestone for Tauranga as this project reflects the growth and changing needs and demographics of our city,” he says.

Stay tuned as we keep you updated on progress as construction takes place!