Image source: JulyCitations
Experience creates loyalty
In October, Mecca opened its 1500sqm ACT flagship at Canberra Centre, replacing the beauty giant's two smaller storefronts previously in the centre. The new store combines cosmetics retail with a perfumery bar, skincare treatment suites and naturopathic services amid bespoke artworks and handcrafted interiors, exemplifying how immersive design transforms shopping into a multisensory experience.
Outdoor equipment company Arc'teryx takes a similar approach in its new Canberra store, evoking the mountains through rugged stone facades and artistic recreations of natural elements, while a dedicated space for repairs and resale turns sustainability into a tangible customer experience.
These retail concepts sit alongside Funlab's Hijinx Hotel, which opened in 2024 in former carpark space. The competitive socialising venue's themed challenge rooms represent a category-defining approach to immersive entertainment that is reshaping customer expectations across the centre.
These spaces function like stages, drawing on theatrical or fairground design cues to create richly immersive moments. It's this focus on creating memories that defines experiential retail and sets QIC centres apart
Stephen Dewaele - General Manager - Property Management, QIC
The strategy responds to established consumer priorities, with 88% saying the experience a company provides is as important as its products1.
Cultural connection builds community
The recently revitalised Hunter & Gatherer fresh food precinct at Pacific Epping draws on Melbourne's open-air market tradition to create an authentic, layered experience reflecting Epping's cultural diversity. Anchoring the precinct is Sacca's Fine Foods, an Italian grocer serving the local community since 2008, now spanning a butcher, gelateria, café, florist, and bakery - its family-style service and bazaar-like atmosphere particularly resonating with Epping's Italian and Mediterranean communities.
The connection matters commercially: 57% of consumers increase their spending with a brand when they feel connected to it2.
What successful retail environments do really well is design for people and product in equal measure.
John Grinham - Head of Retail Design and Delivery, QIC
“Instead of defaulting to templated sameness, we aim to express local stories and reflect neighbourhood traditions. That's how you build loyalty, by creating places where people feel they truly belong.”
Adaptive spaces nurture local businesses
QIC centres nurture local businesses through adaptive design that anticipates community needs. Robina Town Centre's Riva Offices, which opened in April, were purpose-built for entrepreneurs with next-generation coworking facilities including a podcast studio. Canberra Centre's new LSKD store was designed with dedicated floorspace for community 'Pilates & Lattes' sessions and gear swap events, enabling the retailer to function as both shop and community gathering point.
Community-focused partners bring authenticity and energy to our centres.
Luke Young - General Manager - Leasing, QIC
"By providing adaptive spaces, we help them contribute meaningfully to local life.”
For emerging businesses, this means flexible pathways from concept to permanence. Vince Lam, Brand iQ National Manager, explains: “We're curating environments where emerging concepts can test their vision, then expand into permanent spaces that reflect their growth.”
Circular design meets consumer expectations
Arnold & Co's relocation within Canberra Centre exemplified circular design through repurposed external glazing, achieved in partnership with the centre's architect. At Eastland, Country Road's August refurbishment showcased similar innovation with benchtops made from recycled yoghurt containers and reclaimed timber flooring.
With 65% of Gen Zs and 63% of millennials willing to pay more for environmentally sustainable products or services3, these design choices align with customer values.
Younger consumers expect sustainability as standard, so we actively support design that incorporates repurposed materials and low-impact choices at every opportunity.
Melissa Schulz - Sustainability - Real Estate, QIC
Strategic partnerships drive innovation
Today's shopping centres require design expertise across dramatically different formats, from health clinics to designer boutiques to specialty cafes. Collaborative relationships with innovative multi-centre retail partners such as Rebel Sport, alongside leading design suppliers like Span Design, which delivered Castle Towers' No Gap Dental, and Emac Shopfitters, responsible for Canberra Centre's Aesop store, enable QIC to continually evolve design quality and innovate at pace.
Deep partnerships with our design studios and brand partners allow us to deliver experiential innovation at pace and build socially vibrant destinations.
Luke Young - General Manager - Leasing, QIC
Download the full report for more insights and case studies from across QIC's national portfolio.