CCBR Business Review

12 B U S I N E S S N E W S No vacancies at Lakeside Shopping Centre – The Entrance WITH THE CURRENT retail market declin- ing, the introduction of online shopping and supermarket dominance many shopping cen- tres are experiencing growing vacancy rates. However this is not the case at the Lakeside The Entrance where the Shopping Centre owner’s insight and vision to refocus on what he believed the Centre needed has resulted in the property now being fully leased and ten- ants are trading well. That refocus was to increase the level of services for shoppers with the right tenancy mix and it has worked. Part of the repositioning of the tenancy mix has involved bringing in a medical cen- tre which very quickly found it needed to expand. It was in August 2015, when Coastal Health Medical Centre opened a 150 sqm Medical Centre owned and operated by Dr Philip Crook and Dr Vijay Varsani. Both Doctors had foreseen a five-year expansion plan, but, it was soon apparent additional space was des- perately needed. After the first year of open- ing their doors, there were many days when only standing room was available to patients in their waiting area. To facilitate this growth, the floor plan of the Centre needed to be reconfigured. The chemist shop, Simply Pharmacy, relocated with a new modern pharmacy adjacent to Coastal Health Medical Centre, and Superdollar was moved up along out- side Coles. This gave Coastal Health Medical Centre a further 150 sqm to expand. Works have now commenced, which will see the number of consulting rooms increase from four to nine along with other facilities includ- ing a much larger nurses room and a larger waiting area for patients. Around 45 new patients are registering every week and subsequently more during holiday times which is providing a posi- tive impact not only for Lakeside Shopping Centre, but for The Entrance region. Commenting on their growth Dr Crook said ‘opening up in Lakeside had proved to be a very sound move and praised Lakeside owner Bob Dunnet for facilitating their expan- sion. “We now have five doctors, dietician, two nurses and five administrative staff. We believe that, apart from the fact we bulk bill, our success has been our decision to locate in Lakeside”. “It’s convenient for our patients who can park, do their shopping as well as visit our Medical Centre,”he said. Another important move has been the relocation of the Simply Pharmacy, to larger premises directly opposite the Medical Centre. This move with the additional doctors increas- ing will see a greater increase in the number of prescriptions being dispensed. Complementing these health services are hearing companies Hearing for Life and National Hearing Care, who recently required additional area and relocated from 38 sqm to 78 sqm in the Centre. Lakeside Shopping is anchored by a Coles Supermarket and the refocus of the tenant mix away from competing businesses has meant that there is now less ‘churn’as all ten- ants are complementary. New retailers include the ever popu- lar Hungry Wolf Franchise on the Coast, Hollywood Nails, and Heart &Willow ladies fashion who have all been trading successfully. While Lakeside is now trading exception- ally well this is in marked contrast to the retail shopping strip closer to the waterfront where most retailers are struggling Coastal Health Medical Centre at Lakeside The Entrance Shopping Centre CENTRAL COAST BUSINESS REVIEW APRIL 2018