Southern suburbs receive economic boost from new retail centre

Premier Mark McGowan has joined the Rockingham community to celebrate the official opening of the city’s newest homewares and lifestyle retail centre, Rockingham Central.

Located on the corner of Read Street and Council Avenue, Rockingham Central comprises a 6,490sqm mixed-use retail and commercial complex, including a gymnasium, cafe, office space and retail tenancies.

Managed by Cygnet West, Rockingham Central has had an extremely high level of occupancy since the first tenants moved in last year.

Anchor tenants include The Good Guys, Kitchen Warehouse and Adore Home Living, complemented by a range of essential services including Professionals Real Estate Group, Dentistry Plus, Best Body Physio and Pilates, Anytime Fitness, Zambrero and a 7-Eleven service station.

Mr McGowan officially opened the centre on behalf of its owners, diversified property investment firm Lester Group, which acquired the asset from developer Arise Developments in a $28.5 million transaction that settled late last year.

The Premier was joined at the opening by a host of other distinguished guests, including Property Council of Australia WA Executive Director Sandra Brewer and Mayor of Rockingham, Deb Hamblin.

Rockingham Central was built by Western Australia-based building firm Crothers Construction, while architectural work was undertaken by Hames Sharley.

Cygnet West Chief Executive Officer Imran Mohiuddin said he was delighted to have been involved in the Centre’s official opening.

“The fact that the

Centre is almost fully leased in such as short space of time and the diverse range of high calibre tenants is testament to both the quality of the development and to the confidence and level of activity in the local economy here in Rockingham,” Mr Mohiuddin said.

“I’m also delighted to say that Cygnet West has been supporting this project since its inception – initially working with the developers as the Centre took shape, and then brokering the sale of the completed Centre to Lester Group.”

Adrian Lester, Executive Director of Lester Group, said the opening of the Centre was a significant milestone, and much more than simply the unveiling of a bricks-and-mortar building.

Mr Lester said the family-owned Lester Group had assembled a syndicate of 49 local investors to purchase the property last year, including several who live in the surrounding community.

“We’ve created a new micro economy here, and we at Lester Group and our investors are proud to be part of it…When you purchase a new electrical appliance at The Good Guys, something at Kitchen Warehouse or a burrito at Zambrero, you become part of that micro economy. The building was planned by architects, draftsmen and developers in consultation with planners and officers at the City of Rockingham – all of whom were Rockingham or WA locals.
More than 120 builders and tradies were employed to make those plans come to life, providing jobs for local Rockingham workers over the pandemic.”