COLES has started construction on the Schofields Village shopping centre, which will feature new online shopping technology, as developers adapt to changes in consumer behaviour accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Located in a key growth corridor in Greater Western Sydney’s north west growth area, the Coles owned development will be comprised of 6,080sqm in Sydney’s newest suburb, Schofields, located 45 kilometres west of Sydney’s CBD, as convenience retail and neighbourhood shopping centres proved themselves a potentially pandemic-proof asset
The shopping centre will feature a Coles supermarket, Liquourland and 15 additional specialty retailers. These retailers will include cafes, dining locations, retail services, a childcare centre and a medical centre.
“Schofields Village will be an outstanding retail hub, offering local residents a one-stop-shop for all their needs. This neighbourhood centre will also play a key role in the growth and development of the Schofields community into the future,” said Howard Hathorn, development manager at Coles NSW.
The new shopping precinct will provide 350 car spaces and boast new online shopping technology, with the Schofield site introducing the new Coles Online Click&Collect drive through.
This will involve dedicated lanes to enable groceries to be loaded into car boots quickly, eliminating the need for customers to exit their car.
The trend towards Click and Collect systems was accelerated through necessity during the global pandemic, with CBRE Research last year suggesting such dedicated space for the service.
It is expected that the Schofields Village will generate 200 new retail jobs, with the construction of the shopping centre creating 1700 jobs.
The Schofields Village shopping centre is scheduled to open in the second half of 2021.