The first week in December will herald a massive new retail opening in the Bay of Plenty, with the significant first stage of Bayfair Shopping Centre's $115 million development being revealed to the public for the first time.

More than 30 of the development's new stores will open in December, with the incoming brands representing some of the best and most exciting retail Australasia has to offer.

Bayfair's centre manager Steve Ellingford says with the December opening, Bayfair is on its way to having it all – alfresco dining, superb entertainment and the best in retail, all under one roof.

"We are pleased to be introducing not only some of New Zealand's most popular clothing and lifestyle brands but also brands that represent the sustainable future that Bayfair has been creating and advocating for since 2003.”

The new-to-the-Bay retailers include Seed Heritage, The Source Bulk Foods, Peter Alexander and Cotton On Mega. Moving into Bayfair for the first time are Dotti, Macpac, Portmans, Jacqui E and The Cosmetic Clinic.

As Bayfair works through the current retail mix during the development phase, Rodd & Gunn and Max will expand into brand-new, larger stores and Merric, The Coffee Club and Dominos will return.

Denise Haughey, General Manager of Seed Heritage says the prominent Australian brand is proud to unveil its thirteenth New Zealand, and first Bay of Plenty outlet, at Bayfair.

'We have already had such an overwhelming response from our New Zealand customers across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and with Bayfair's investment in the expansion of the centre, the decision to open a concept store in this location was an easy one. We are thrilled to be introducing Tauranga's discerning, fashion-forward shoppers to our beautifully designed collections for woman, teen, child and baby.”

Earlier this year, the centre announced new-to-the-Bay brands, including Mecca Maxima, Platypus Shoes, Redcurrent, Collette, Mirrou and yd. Already with a presence in the Bay, Barkers will open with its new Groom Room barbershop concept and Stirling Sports with a brand new store concept, a first in New Zealand.

Robert and Andrea Watt.

The zero-waste natural whole foods retailer The Source Bulk Foods, brought to New Zealand from Australia in 2017 by Auckland siblings Robert and Andrea Watt, is coming to Bayfair.

It's the first The Source Bulk Foods store in Tauranga, representing a leap forward in the centre's reputation for sustainability.

'We can't wait to show the people of Tauranga what we're all about, which is unbranded, unpackaged bulk whole foods and health foods, including organic, paleo, gluten-friendly, dairy-free and vegan products," says Andrea.

'We know from experience that Kiwis want a place where they can bring their bags, bottles and jars to fill up with raw honey or kombucha on-tap, mill their flour and observe the making of their nut butter from roasted nuts. People can try foods and flavours that are new to them and get the freshest ingredients for recipes – as much or as little as they need, so nothing goes to waste.”

Bayfair Shopping Centre is managed by AMP Capital on behalf of co-owners AMP Capital Shopping Centre Fund & Fisher Funds Management Limited.

Development details

• A development programme including staged openings, with the majority of stores opening late 2018 and the final stage opening late 2019.
• On completion, Bayfair will be a fully integrated, single-level, enclosed shopping centre.
• The development expands the centre's footprint by 9,000m² to a total of 42,000m², and adds another 50 specialty stores, including a strong fashion mix new to the centre and the region, for a total of 150 stores.
• Approximately 1,800 car park spaces, and cycle parking.
• Fresh new Countdown supermarket.
• The Bay of Plenty's largest cinema complex, United Cinemas, with seven screens, more than 1,300 seats and Dolby Atmos sound system.
• Integrated alfresco dining precinct to complement the nearby cinema complex, with up to eight restaurants and casual food eateries including licensed operators.
• Accessible facilities such as a quiet room and up-to-date family facilities including additional parents' room.