The Bourke Street store opened for trade earlier this week, comprising four buildings which have been joined together and entirely remodelled.
Prior to Zara’s occupation, retailer Supre commissioned development firm MP Group to manage and complete the fitout of the heritage listed building in Melbourne’s CBD. Project management and planning had commenced twelve months prior to its construction in order to obtain approvals from council bodies due to its status.
Media outlets last year reported Zara’s entry into the Australian market would be twofold, with Zara Melbourne and Sydney scheduled to launch in April, 2011. The decision to open the former store in June prompted speculation the giant had encountered difficulties with heritage building permits. City of Melbourne media adviser Stephen Zelez said building application records indicated this was not the case.
“There is no planning trigger for the internal fit out of the store as it was already zoned as retail....[but] Zara did apply for a planning permit for minor works to the external parts of the buildings and this was approved in November last year. It included Zara signage, painting the buildings cream and alterations to the entry facade.”
Zara chief communications officer Jesus Echevarria said an internal team of 50 studio architects had researched the building’s history in order to maintain its integrity. He said the most important construction feature was restoring wooden frames with a metallic structure.
“The question of the timing is not about this; a lot of our decisions are based on store location and we take opportunities as they come to us,” he said. “Zara in Pitt Street [Sydney] was locked in prior to Bourke Street because the opportunity came first.”
Echevarria said the Melbourne store is aiming to achieve LEED certification in two months time, which is the recognised standard for measuring building sustainability and “green” credentials. Its opening comes in the wake of strong trade at Zara Sydney, with reports claiming an average of 14,000 customers a day and a rumoured $1.2 million worth of stock movement on the first day of trade.
Assia Benmedjdoub