Three more stores have abandoned the troubled Market Square Shopping Centre amid rumours another store is poised to leave.
EB Games, My Size and Panache cafe have all shut up shop in recent weeks amid rumours craft chain Lincraft will be the next to jump ship.
Lincraft displayed “closing down” sale signs until earlier this week, when they were replaced with “end of lease” banners.
Joint managing director of Lincraft Australia John Maguire told the Geelong Advertiser the chain was “in negotiations with the centre and unable to comment any further”.
Empty stores at Geelong’s Market Square Shopping Centre
A sign posted to EB Games’ door revealed its new location near Coles at Westfield.
Marker Square has seen a mass exodus in recent years, with Cotton On, Mimco, Dymocks, Australia Post, Factorie, Hello World Travel, Cyril Cooke Florist and Michael Hill Jeweller all shutting up shop or moving elsewhere.
Many major tenants – including Cotton On – are yet to be replaced.
Panache cafe, which had been in the centre for 20 years, closed on April 28.
Owner Mark Oates said he had chosen to shut the eatery at the end of its lease and noted centre management had been “good” to deal with.
“It was just time for us to move on,” he said.
The centre has been a staple of Geelong’s CBD since its grand opening by then-Victorian Premier John Cain in 1985.
In 1996, the centre was sold by the City of Greater Geelong for $32m.
Market Square Shopping Centre’s owners and management, Knight Frank, declined to comment.
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In January, City Hall invited the public to comment on a draft masterplan for the area, due to be released in the middle of the year.
Mayor Trent Sullivan said the centre would benefit from a “rethink” after it was identified as a “key strategic area” in the Central Geelong Framework Plan.
“Council recognises Market Square’s importance as a key driver of our local economy and a central meeting area, and we want to ensure the best potential outcomes,” he said in January.
“We want to know what you value about the site, as well as your suggestions for improvement and examples of other inclusive spaces around Victoria, Australia and overseas that are inviting and engaging.”
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