Regional Shopping Areas to Gain Cinemas

20 September 2004

Westfield and Village SKYCITY Cinemas Announcement

Regional Shopping Areas to Gain Cinemas

Residents of Auckland’s North Shore City and Manukau City are set to gain the latest in cinema technology as Westfield and Village SKYCITY Cinemas announce two major cinema developments in Westfield Shopping Centres.

Mr Joe Moodabe, Chief Executive Officer, Village SKYCITY Cinemas said, “Both the proposed Westfield Albany Town Centre and the existing Westfield Manukau City shopping centre are set to become the entertainment ‘hubs’ of their respective regions in Auckland. We are delighted to have cinemas as a key component in these Westfield developments”.

“The North Shore is under supplied with cinema screens and is one of the primary population growth areas of the Auckland region.

We believe it offers a great opportunity for the expansion of cinema exhibition. Providing cinemas in the Westfield Albany development will create the entertainment centre for the North Shore”, said Mr Moodabe.

At Manukau City it is great to have the opportunity to bring the latest cinema technology into Westfield Manukau City. Drawing on our combined experience and research it is clear that the community wants to be able to visit a single destination for entertainment and to shop while the kids are at the movies,” said Mr Moodabe.

“The planned Westfield Albany Town Centre, which has now received resource consent, has been designed with a Civic space, which will interact with alfresco dining, restaurants, bars and the entertainment. This link with the Cinemas and retail fashion, will create a very compelling offer for the North Shore residents of Auckland,” said Mr John Widdup, Director, Westfield NZ.

“At Manukau City, Westfield has been carrying out an upgrade to the shopping centre for sometime now, and recently opened the new Farmers Department store. The Village SKYCITY Cinemas will introduce the leisure and entertainment component to an improved and expanded food and fashion offer at the centre. This will create the entertainment destination for all Manukau City residents. The design also allows for further expansion prospects in the future,” said Mr Widdup.

Village SKYCITY Cinemas and Westfield have completed complexes at Westfield St Lukes and Westfield WestCity and are currently building cinemas in their expansion of Westfield Queensgate in Lower Hutt, Wellington.

Westfield Albany Town Centre – The proposed development planned by Westfield is part of the company’s three-centre strategy for shopping on the North Shore. Westfield purchased the Albany land in 1996 and has confirmed that the North Shore City Council has granted resource consent for the project, which includes the cinemas and leisure precincts. Construction of the Westfield Albany Town Centre incorporating the Village SKYCITY Cinemas is expected to commence in January 2005.

The proposed cinema complex will see the latest in cinema technology including: Two dedicated Gold Class auditoria and associated Gold Class lounge. Eight mainstream auditoria including a Mega-Screen (a larger format screen). Tiered stadium seating and wall-to-wall screens throughout the complex. The total seating capacity within the new multiplex will be in excess of 2200 seats.

Westfield Manukau City – The shopping centre features approximately 145 specialty stores Westfield recently completed, a new Farmers department store, which opened 29 July 2004. The shopping centre continues to be upgraded with the inclusion of new retailers, a new food court and overall design improvements. Westfield Manukau City has more than 8 million customer visits per annum.

Village SKYCITY Cinemas at Westfield Manukau City will introduce: A 10-screen multiplex cinema complex – with seating capacity of approximately 2,208 seats. Two Dedicated Gold Class auditoria and associated Gold Glass Lounge. Eight mainstream auditoria including a Mega-Screen (a large format screen). Tiered stadium seating and wall-to-wall screens throughout the complex.

ENDS

© Scoop Media