The future of the troubled Eureka Homemaker Centre has been thrown further into limbo after the consortium charged with redevelopment of the former Masters site revealed it was still without an anchor tenant or opening date.
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In 2016 Home Consortium announced it would take over 47 former Masters buildings across the country including the Wendouree facility, which would be transformed into shopping centres.
The first of these facilities were opened to the public in late-2017, however an opening date for Ballarat has remained elusive.
Home Consortium had initially anticipated it would have locked down an anchor tenant for the Wendouree centre by late 2017, however the operator is yet to announce any retailers who will move into Learmonth Road.
In a statement a Home Consortium spokesperson said “Home remains in discussions with a number of key retailers regarding the Ballarat centre but at this stage there is no final timetable for fit-out works and reopening at this site”.
ALDI is currently the only tenant in the Learmonth Road precinct which was once marketed as regional Australia’s largest homemaker centre.
Despite boasting a floor area of 40,000 square metres and 1300 car parks, no other tenants have been announced for the site.
The slow progress has come while the Delacombe Town Centre in Ballarat’s west has experienced a boom of activity since opening its doors in August 2017.
The nearby Stockland Wendouree shopping centre is also undergoing a $37 million extension and facelift which will add a further 22 specialty stores and 10 dining options.
Those upgrades are expected to be completed later this year.
Commerce Ballarat board member David Wright said the Home Consortium concept was “changing the face of retailing” and would complement existing outlets such as Stockland Wendouree rather than compete.
“Everyone has to ensure they have an online presence and provide good customer experience, but the plan is to offer a different shopping environment,” Mr Wright said.
“I see it as an adjunct to existing retail.”
In similar fashion to the nearby Wendouree Homemaker Centre on Gilles Street, the former Masters building is expected to boast a series of big box retailers such as furniture stores, automotive outlets and white goods sellers.
