Westfield Carousel is an Australian shopping centre in the Perth suburb of Cannington. It is located approximately 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Perth's central business district on the Albany Highway and approximately 600 metres (2,000 ft) from Cannington railway station. Following a redevelopment in 2018, Westfield Carousel became the largest shopping centre in Western Australia.[1]

Westfield Carousel Shopping Centre
Albany Highway facade of Westfield Carousel
Map
LocationCannington, Western Australia
Coordinates32°01′12″S 115°56′18″E / 32.019963°S 115.938327°E / -32.019963; 115.938327 (Westfield Carousel)
AddressAlbany Highway & Cecil Avenue
Opening date1972; 52 years ago (1972)
ManagementScentre Group
OwnerScentre Group
No. of stores and services362
No. of anchor tenants9
Total retail floor area110,000 square metres (1,200,000 sq ft)
No. of floors3
Parking4,300
Public transit accessCannington station
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

History edit

Westfield Carousel Shopping Centre was built in 1972 and originally contained 80 shops, a hotel, three takeaway food shops, a KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken), a Coles supermarket, a Boans (later acquired by Myer), Aherns (later acquired by David Jones) and Walsh's department stores. In 1973, a freestanding Target store opened. In 1979, an extension included connection of the existing centre to the Target, Coles and new speciality stores.

The original centre incorporated the site of Boans Waverley, the first suburban Boans branch, which opened in 1959. It also later incorporated the Waverley Hotel, which stood on the corner of Albany Highway and Cecil Road (now Cecil Avenue). It was purchased by the Westfield Group in 1996.[2]

1987 to 1990 edit

In the late 1980s, Boans was taken over by Myer, becoming the chain's third department store in Western Australia. The Aherns store was also replaced with Myer in the 1980s. With two Myer locations in the shopping centre, one was used for fashion (the former Boans near Albany Hwy) and one for homeware and furniture (the former Aherns). Reconfiguration of tenancies occurred in 1987, and Walsh's was replaced by Treasureway.

In 1990, Hoyts 8 Cinema was opened as a freestanding building near Carousel Road. This was one of the first suburban cinemas in Perth.

1998 to 1999 edit

In 1998, a $200 million redevelopment and expansion began to double the size of the complex, which made it Western Australia's biggest shopping centre. This development included a Kmart, Coles Supermarket, Rebel Sport, Lincraft, Harris Scarfe, Red Dot Stores, relocated Woolworths, consolidated Myer store, new Hoyts Cinema and the Al Fresco dining area with four dining retailers, a new food court and over 100 new retailers. Some mini-major stores were added to the older parts of the complex, such as Red Dot Stores and Best & Less. The complete centre underwent refurbishment throughout 1999.

2000s edit

 
Entrance to Westfield Carousel in 2005

Further minor redevelopment occurred in the 2000s. Harris Scarfe closed in 2001 and was replaced with a larger Red Dot, Chain Reaction, Retravision and Drummond Golf. This portion of the centre was further reconfigured in 2008, following the departure of Lincraft, Red Dot and Chain Reaction. The minor redevelopment included a new mall with JB Hi-Fi, Kathmandu, The Reject Shop, Good Life Health Clubs and a number of banks and restaurants.

2010s edit

 
Main atrium of Westfield Carousel, near Hoyts Cinemas and Coles

In 2015, Rebel was refurbished. Later that year, an iPlay arcade opened next to the cinema. In June 2016, Red Dot Stores opened near Best & Less. The food court, amenities and car park were also upgraded and opened late 2016.[citation needed]

In early 2017, construction commenced on a $350 million redevelopment of Westfield Carousel. The introduction of David Jones was planned to anchor a new fashion mall home to more than 60 new stores, a multi-deck carpark, an open-air lifestyle and leisure precinct, a fully refurbished 14-screen Hoyts cinema and 12 new restaurants.[3] Upon completion, Westfield Carousel became the largest shopping centre in Western Australia. The redevelopment was officially opened on 30 August 2018.[1]

2020s edit

From 6 October 2023, Westfield Carousel began large scale Friday night trading, becoming the first suburban shopping centre in Perth to do so.[4]

Facilities edit

As of July 2020, Westfield Carousel had 362 stores, 109,795 m2 (1,181,820 sq ft) of gross lettable area and 4,300 car spaces.[5]

Transport edit

The centre is located within 600 metres (2,000 ft) of Cannington railway station. Multiple bus services connect the shopping centre to the station. Additional bus services run to and from the city along Albany Highway.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "New colossus of WA retail opens its doors". WAtoday. 31 August 2018. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  2. ^ Premier opens $355 million Westfield Carousel Westfield Group
  3. ^ van Straalen, Pia (28 February 2017). "$350m redevelopment of Westfield Carousel begins". Canning Times. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  4. ^ Becerra Mellet, Gabrielle (27 September 2023). "Busy shopping centre EXTENDS hours, opens exciting store". PerthNow. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  5. ^ Key Stats and Figures Scentre Group

External links edit