Video game, electronics and merchandise retailer EB Games is moving its Melbourne CBD flagship store.
Fitzroys CBD Retail Leasing Team Travis Keenan, Franklin Gikas and James Lockwood negotiated the lease at 48 Elizabeth Street, part of the 271 Collins Street building, in the heart of the Melbourne CBD.
EB Games is relocating from 67 Swanston Street, where it had four levels of retail, into the former My Chemist space. The 192sqm space has a large combined 10 metre frontage to busy Elizabeth Street enjoying passing foot traffic from the ant trail that runs to and from Flinders Street Station.
Keenan said EB Games chose this particular space as it was looking to relocate and optimise its space.
“Over the past few years, we have seen rapid growth in the shopping experience that both the EB Games and Zing Pop Culture stores can offer. This brand-new, purpose-built store, is conveniently located on Elizabeth street and allows us to showcase the best products from both the video game and pop culture worlds,” EB Games said.
Lockwood said the theme of optimisation within the CBD has extended from tenants with one or few sites to national operators. Fitzroys has just leased 148 Little Collins Street in the CBD to shoe retailer Sole Motive on a 3+3-year deal, who is also moving within the CBD from their Queen Street site to a prized east end location.
Fitzroys has also recently negotiated a deal with Union Kiosk at 10 Howey Place on a 3+5-year lease after outgrowing their current CBD location, and on Little Collins Street, Asian-style desserts hawker Sulwha Desert Bar signed a 5+2-year lease after gaining a following through its operating Little Bourke Street pop-up that ran over 2020 and 2021, while Bent-Oh! Took a Flinders Lane space for its second Melbourne store, committing to a long 5+5-year deal. Its parent company runs a specialty coffee and salad bar in St Collins Lane.
Lockwood said it is clear that tenants with CBD operations have full confidence in the city’s future.
“Tenants are looking towards a big spring and summer,” he said.
“We’ve already seen a bounce-back in night-time activity and weekend visitation and there’s widespread confidence that day-to-day trade will continue increasing over the medium to long-term.”