NATIONAL: Sydney's Queen Victoria Building (QVB) and Melbourne's Chadstone shopping centre have taken home gold in the International Council of Shopping Centres' (ICSC) regional awards.
The 112-year-old QVB took home the top award in the 'renovation or expansion of an existing project' category for centres less than 13,935 sqm. The award recognises the six-year-long restoration of the QVB including the addition of six new escalators, a new colour scheme, new frameless glass shop fronts and new interior signage.
The QVB restoration cost $48 million and was implemented by the centre's owner and manager, Ipoh.
Also walking away with a gold award was Chadstone shopping centre. The centre took out the top prize in the 'grand opening, expansion and renovation' marketing category for centres over 46,451 sqm. The prize was awarded for its mixed-media campaign 'The One Fashion Capital' which promoted Chadstone's 2009 expansion.
Chadstone is owned by CFS Retail Property Trust and The Gandel Group, and is managed by Colonial First State Global Asset Management.
As gold winners in the ICSC's Annual Asia Shopping Centre Awards program, both QVB and Chadstone are automatically eligible to win ICSC's Best of the Best VIVA Award. The global awards will be presented at the organisation's annual conference in May 2011.
Other Australian shopping centres that took home prizes at the 2010 ICSC Asia Shopping Centre awards include:
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AMP Capital Shopping Centres, Sydney – silver winner in the 'Marketing - business to business' category for its Recommended Retail Practice report
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QVB, Sydney – silver winner in the 'Marketing – grand opening, expansion and renovation' category for its 'The Magic Lives On' campaign
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Wintergarden, Brisbane – silver winner in the 'Marketing – new media' category for its 'I Am Growing' campaign
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Mirvac, Sydney – silver winner in the 'Marketing – new media corporate/company' category for its Neighbourhoodnet campaign
The ICSC was founded in 1957 and is a global trade association for the shopping centre industry, with over 55,000 members in 90 countries. Members include shopping centre owners, developers, managers, marketing managers, investors, retailers and brokers.