{"id":369948,"date":"2025-12-25T01:08:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T01:08:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/369948\/"},"modified":"2025-12-25T01:08:05","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T01:08:05","slug":"rodd-gunns-new-10m-four-storey-global-flagship-in-melbourne-heritage-building","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/369948\/","title":{"rendered":"Rodd & Gunn\u2019s new $10m+ four-storey global flagship in Melbourne heritage building"},"content":{"rendered":"

The chain decided to go so big in Melbourne because Australia has become by far the retailer\u2019s biggest market. The new store is a huge 1490sq m, making it just under 1.5ha of floor area.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe dining room and members’ bar area at Rodd & Gunn’s new store on Little Collins St, Melbourne. Photo \/ Rodd & Gunn<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been the No 1 and No 2 in Myer and David Jones over the last five years. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had massive growth in Australia. It\u2019s not just sales but also recognition. No one knew us 10 years ago. Now, I get in a taxi and people say they love the brand. Can I give them a discount, they ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"RetailRetail floor off Little Collins St, Melbourne. Photo \/ Rodd & Gunn<\/p>\n

The retailer struck a 15-year lease with Melbourne investment business Newmark Capital which did significant works to the building before the Kiwi business brought in its own outfitters.<\/p>\n

Waikato cheese features in a dessert, and wines being sold come from Craggy Range, Mt Difficulty, Pegasus Bay and many other vineyards.<\/p>\n

\"RoddRodd & Gunn’s new dining room and members’ bar, Little Collins St, Melbourne. Photo \/ Rodd & Gunn<\/p>\n

\u201cIn real life, it is even better. It is breathtaking,\u201d Beagley said of pictures of the three-level store in the heritage building at 230 Little Collins St.<\/p>\n

\"CocktailCocktail and wine bar area inside Rodd & Gunn’s new Melbourne store. Photo \/ Rodd & Gunn<\/p>\n

New Zealand will always remain Rodd & Gunn\u2019s spiritual home because the global retailer\u2019s roots are here, Beagley said. <\/p>\n

The brand heritage goes back to 1946, but Rodd & Gunn as it is today started in 1987. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut the opening of our Melbourne flagship is our way of giving back to a city that has supported Rodd & Gunn from the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodd & Gunn\u2019s Commercial Bay outlet in Auckland CBD also has dining.<\/p>\n

\"ExtensiveExtensive use of wood inside Rodd & Gunn’s new store, Little Collins St, Melbourne. Photo \/ Rodd & Gunn<\/p>\n

The four levels in Melbourne are:<\/p>\n

Basement: Rodd & Gunn Cellar & Wine Bar, dedicated to dining and drinking on the lower ground floor, a moody escape serving an extensive New Zealand wine list;Ground floor: Rodd & Gunn retail, \u201ca polished statement of confidence, the space pairs cornice plasterwork and marble joinery with modern product displays. Heritage-inspired balustrades and aromatic timber finishes create a relaxed yet elevated browsing experience\u201d;Mezzanine: The Lodge Member\u2019s Bar Little Collins, \u201ca moody retreat reserved for loyalty members or those who book in the two restaurants, wrapped in wood panelling, sculptural lighting by Volker Haug, and art deco-inspired motifs. Guests can exclusively enjoy distinctive classic cocktails, premium wines and Kiwi-inspired snacks in a private, club-like setting;Level four: The Lodge Dining Room Little Collins, with floor-to-ceiling arched windows, antique mirrors and white marble table.<\/p>\n

The basement and retail levels opened at the beginning of October. <\/p>\n

The two upper levels opened on November 20. <\/p>\n

\"RoddRodd & Gunn The Lodge restaurant, Commercial Bay, Auckland. Photo \/ Babiche Martens<\/p>\n

For Beagley, it was a five-year journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe began negotiating to lease the space in 2020. The building work didn\u2019t start until February this year. That was done by our shop fitter In Detail. But the landlord had been renovating the areas for two years before all that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mecca and Clemenger are also in the building, which originally had been home to a GJ Coles Variety Store in the early 1900s. <\/p>\n

\"RoddRodd & Gunn CEO Mike Beagley.<\/p>\n

David Jones took over the space but then sold the building.<\/p>\n

The food court of David Jones was on basement. Menswear was on ground, men\u2019s underwear on the mezzanine and menswear on level one.<\/p>\n

In 2022, David Jones no longer needed the space so it had amalgamated these areas into its women\u2019s wear, and that building became surplus to its needs, Beagley said.<\/p>\n

\"InsideInside the cellar at Rodd & Gunn’s global flagship, Little Collins St, Melbourne CBD. Photo \/ Rodd & Gunn<\/p>\n

Rodd & Gunn reported on December 16, revealing a previous profit became a $3.7 million net loss<\/a> in the year to June 29, 2025 due to problems in Canada after the closure of department store Hudson\u2019s Bay Company.<\/p>\n

\"FineFine dining at Rodd & Gunn’s new Melbourne store. Photo \/ Rodd & Gunn<\/p>\n

Beagley told the Herald: \u201cIt was a very challenging period but fortunately, we pivoted quickly and opened nine of our own stores in Canada.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believed there would be a market void due to Hudson\u2019s Bay departure from the market and that has borne out to be true.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodd & Gunn has 98 outlets in about 10 countries: 215 shops-in-shops, also known as concession stores, and 98 dedicated stand-alone stores. <\/p>\n

\"NewNew Zealand wines are prominent at this new Melbourne store of Rodd & Gunn. Photo \/ Rodd & Gunn<\/p>\n

It has physical stores in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada and United Kingdom.<\/p>\n

Shops-in-shops are where it leases space in 215 locations, including Ireland, Denmark, France, Italy, Singapore and Hong Kong. <\/p>\n

In Melbourne, thought was given where to put areas which the retailer regarded as crucial to expanding its clothing offering into fine dining.<\/p>\n

The cellar and wine bar in the basement offers booth seating and pays homage to the original Cole\u2019s cafeteria which was once there.<\/p>\n

A cocktail library is offered by Melbourne mixologist Matt Bar. <\/p>\n

\"TheThe retailer’s biggest, most expensive store is now in Melbourne. <\/p>\n

Beagley said the piece de resistance was The Lodge Dining Room, framed by floor-to-ceiling arched windows, antique mirrors and custom joinery. <\/p>\n

\u201cI always take people up there last,\u201d he said, describing the wow factor of that area.<\/p>\n

\"InsideInside Rodd & Gunn’s new store with dining and bar areas, Little Collins St, Melbourne. Photo \/ Rodd & Gunn<\/p>\n

Subtle references to the building\u2019s past are woven throughout, from restored tile artworks and original tiled columns to marble finishes and parquetry underfoot. <\/p>\n

Beagley said all the art was from New Zealand.<\/p>\n

\"ShowcasingShowcasing New Zealand food, wine and other products on Little Collins St, Melbourne. Photo \/ Rodd & Gunn<\/p>\n

A reeded-glass private dining room with steel detailing and a striking white marble table offers an exclusive setting for more intimate gatherings, the company\u2019s marketing says.<\/p>\n

The area is grand in scale but intimate in detail, Beagley said.<\/p>\n

For him, the Melbourne store is the ultimate, combining dining and retailing.<\/p>\n

The retailer will open a new concept store<\/a> in Auckland\u2019s $150m Pompallier on Ponsonby when that under-construction project is finished. That is also to have the food, cocktail and wine offering.<\/p>\n

A bar, restaurant and outdoor dining terrace is being built within that new store. A commercial kitchen is to have wood-burning ovens and grills. <\/p>\n

Anne Gibson<\/a> has been the Herald\u2018s property editor for 25 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.<\/p>\n

Stay ahead with the latest market moves, corporate updates, and economic insights by subscribing to our Business newsletter<\/a> \u2013 your essential weekly round-up of all the business news you need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The chain decided to go so big in Melbourne because Australia has become by far the retailer\u2019s biggest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":369949,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[200343,161852,449,458,459,64,63,9461,22674,82775,460,134,25135,1295,200344,3141,67835,200346,200342,200347,12652,4717,75390,200345,17357,647,3127,16804,10009,101986,200341,14622,19004,42387,3205],"class_list":["post-369948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-10m","tag-amp","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australians","tag-building","tag-countrys","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-flagship","tag-food","tag-fourstorey","tag-global","tag-great","tag-gunn","tag-gunns","tag-halfhectare","tag-heritage","tag-in","tag-inspired","tag-locallyheadquartered","tag-love","tag-melbourne","tag-new","tag-open","tag-outdoors","tag-retailer","tag-rodd","tag-shop","tag-this","tag-wine","tag-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=369948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/369949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=369948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=369948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=369948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}