Brand outlet targets upper-mid market

MELBOURNE: Australia's latest brand outlet shopping offer has selected Melbourne's northern suburbs for its first store.

Brand Junction – scheduled for completion in May 2008 in Melbourne's University Hill area, 20 minutes' drive north of the city - promises more than 80 brands under one roof, with around 80 per cent of its offer in the fashion and homewares categories.

University Hill senior retail development manager Mark O’Connell confirmed lessees included Laura Ashley, Rivers, David Lawrence, Pumpkin Patch, Tarocash, Milu Shoes, Globalize, Plunj surfwear and Harris Scarf.

"We think Brand Junction will be very attractive to anyone who is brand savvy, which includes teenagers through to consumers in their fifties, although our biggest market will be female and between the ages of 20 and 40," he said.
Brand Junction would be positioned between DFO at the value end of the market and high-end brand outlet Brandsmart. Comprising a purpose built outlet with traditional "racetrack" configuration in addition to street facing shops, it would form part of developer MAB's $1 billion University Hill project to include supermarket shopping as well as food and entertainment facilities.

"Unlike many brand outlets, Brand Junction will not be a 'big box' but has been designed as a destination and leisure shopping precinct," O'Connell said. He said the University Hill site had been chosen due to the widespread rejuvenation of the surrounding area and absence of competing outlets.

"Our closest competitors will be DFO in Essendon or Brandsmart in Nunawading, neither of which are within easy reach," he said and added that until now, the area had been under serviced with state-of-the-art retail.

"With 614,092 residents living within a 20 minute drive, and 143,934 people just a 10 minute drive away, Brand Junction offers a strong business opportunity for leading retailers."

The University Hill site is expected to employ more than 1400 people when complete. O'Connell said Brand Junction would roll out further outlets in major Australian cities as and when suitable opportunities arose.

By Belinda Smart