Panda Mart expands as Pakuranga Plaza fades away

One of the New Zealand’s first shopping centres, Pakuranga Plaza, has evolved into a makeshift storage facility for the megastore Panda Mart.

Panda Mart opened its first store in the plaza in 2023, and has since then leased 14 shops, using them for storage.

While its megastore has attracted new customers to the area, it has begun to expand throughout the mall.

Unique Desire is one of the few stores still operating in the plaza, and its owner has witnessed ongoing changes in the mall.

“When I started this store, the plaza was fully occupied, and we had people who wanted to visit the mall,” says Alaaie Talat.

When Panda Mart first started acquiring leases around the plaza, staff felt hope for its future.

“A lot of staff, including mine, were very excited. We thought other stores were opening up in the mall,”  Alaaie says.

However, the team noticed a pattern in the intended use of these stores.

“We’ve gotten used to it. We used to expect new stores to pop up, now we don’t”

In its prime Pakuranga Plaza was the hub for East Aucklanders’ shopping needs.

However, back in 2015, plans were set in place for it to be redeveloped as housing and a retail centre. therefore, many stores decided not to renew their leases.

The Covid-19 pandemic delayed this redevelopment, leaving behind a mall with nobody to occupy.

While some stores have remained, none have had as large of an impact as Panda Mart.

Pakūranga MP Simeon Brown has said that the plaza’s situation is “challenging" as roadworks and the construction of the Reeves Road flyover have prevented customers from easy access.

Panda Mart has not responded to TWN inquiries.