BAYFAIR FOOD COURT REFURBISHMENT SUPPORTS A CENTRE TREND

Party like it’s Christmas? Not just yet – a more imminent celebration is being prepared at Bayfair Shopping Centre, which unveils its new food court to the public in early November and is throwing its first-ever ‘food court party’ to mark the occasion.

When it premieres on Thursday 7 November, the food court will boast new seating, tables, lighting, fixtures and fittings, and an additional 70 seats to accommodate a full house of 438. On 7 November and Friday 8 November, from 5pm to 9pm, all-comers are welcome to a centre party to celebrate the new-look food court. There is plenty of delicious nourishment on offer from the 12 food retailers, along with live music from Aaron Bloomfield and live draws of $150 Bayfair Gift Cards every 30 minutes between 6pm and 8pm (all those who spend $5 or more at the food court are eligible).

Bayfair centre manager Steve Ellingford says, “We’ve remodelled and upgraded many elements of the centre over the past year or so, and we thought this latest upgrade presented the perfect opportunity to have an early-summer celebration ahead of the holiday season.

“With the refurbishment, the food court looks fresh and modern and, most importantly, is an even more comfortable and inviting environment for our customers than before. This is all-important – people come here not just to eat and drink but to rest and relax in the midst of shopping, and to spend time with friends and family.”

The refurbishment, the result of a six-figure investment by the owners, AMP Capital Shopping Centres, is one of a raft of similar upgrades completed at Bayfair in the past 18 months. Most recently, last December, the centre debuted the SmartGuide parking system in the ground level of the undercover shopping centre carpark.

Earlier in 2012, Bayfair unveiled a refurbished parents’ room, remodelled to include a private feeding room with a TV, microwave, and enclosed play area, and making the caretaking of babies and toddlers much easier when out and about. To top off the family-friendly offering, Bayfair also installed a highly-interactive sea serpent-themed playscape area with talking tubes, textured surfaces, and activity and bubble panels. 

And finally, Bayfair announced late last year that it had become one of the first shopping centres in the country to use solar power in its bathrooms to heat water, and that it had been pre-plumbed with grey-water harvesting tanks to recycle water. The measures accord with New Zealand’s landmark Climate Change Act 2002 and respond to widespread public concern about energy wastage. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority has reported that 3,400 solar home heating systems are installed by Kiwis each year to reduce individual households’ footprints.

At the same time, Bayfair installed LED lighting, reducing energy consumption from lighting by at least 50%, speedier hand-dryers (saving up to 60% of previous energy required), new air conditioning systems, water-saving tap sensors, foam soap dispensers and recycling bins. Display screens showing the water and power savings in real time were installed to incentivize shoppers to try similar economies at home. Since the installation of the energy-saving technology, the solar panels installed on Bayfair’s roof have generated more than 10,000kW-hours of energy.

The Details:
Event: The Bayfair Food Court Party, with live music and spot prizes
Date: Thursday 7 November and Friday 8 November 2013
Time: 5pm to 9pm both nights
Location: Food court at Bayfair Shopping Centre, corner Maunganui and Girven Roads, Mount Maunganui