Let the fun begin

While unlikely to match the recreational options planned for the new international super-mall in Muscat to be known as Mall of Oman, shopping centres in New Zealand’s key cities are increasingly embracing innovative entertainment models to boost the experience side of retail precincts.

Mall of Oman will house the Gulf’s largest indoor snow park, a full spectrum of VOX Cinemas and the family-friendly Magic Planet entertainment hub.

Chris Beasleigh, Bayleys national director retail sales and leasing, said entertainment offerings are no longer considered a mere add-on to a retail precinct, but necessary to round out the optimal tenancy mix, to extend the appeal of a mall or centre and to woo consumers back to retail bricks and mortar.

“With the majority of shopping needs able to be fulfilled from behind a device, there has to be a good reason for people to go and physically shop – and then there’s the challenge of enticing them out after-hours,” he said.

“Contemporary retail centres are becoming true destinations throughout the day and into the evening – with the traditional-style foodcourts having been reimagined into upmarket dining lanes complete with stylish bars.

“Now, in the major centres, the entertainment component is going well beyond the big screen movie experience and into the recreational space with adult-orientated bowling alleys, virtual reality gaming and, as we’ve seen in Auckland recently, even circus-themed arcade venues.”

At Westfield Newmarket, the circus-themed arcade bar, Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq, offers dodgems, carousels, bowling, mini-rides and more than 60 arcade games. The younger crowd are entertained before 5pm – and then the adults take over the fun reins in the evening.

With a full-service cocktail bar, gourmet kitchen and function spaces, this is not your usual kid-centric arcade.

Beasleigh said entertainment tenancies such as this are now a professional and qualified retail category, offering active rather than passive entertainment.

“A movie theatre is no longer enough of an adult drawcard for a retail centre.

“With online streaming options and large TV screens putting movies at people’s fingertips without leaving home, the entertainment net is now being cast far wider.”

Singapore-headquartered The Entertainment and Education Group (TEEG), which acquired the international business of Timezone Group in recent years, is set to open a huge entertainment complex near the base of the gondola in Queenstown at the end of this year.

It will feature a Kingpin bowling alley, arcade, virtual reality games, escape rooms and private karaoke rooms.

TEEG said it is “in the serious business of fun” and claims shopping centre landlords throughout the Asia-Pacific region see TEEG’s offerings as a way to cost-effectively increase footfall.

Beasleigh said leisure- and experience-based venues are also making their way to standalone locations close to city hospitality precincts, adding a new twist to a night on the town.

“For example, Australian company Funlab is behind the Holey Moley mini golf venue which has opened in the centre of Auckland offering a full-service bar and adult-based mini golf,” he said.

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