Welcoming new cafés, fashion stores and more to the city centre

A number of new businesses have opened their doors in the city centre for the first time in the past weeks. From cafés to a French bistro, fashion, food retail and hotels, we're pleased to welcome this diverse selection of businesses to the city centre.

When the opportunity came up over lockdown to take over a High Street cafe site, Rosie Russell and her business partner Hayley Allen decided to take the leap into first time business ownership and have opened Pink neon sign. Having fallen in love with the beautiful cafe space while working for Eighthirty, an earlier tenant, Rosie said she had a new entrepreneurial courage forged from the chaos of the year.  "This is like a phoenix from the ashes". 

Pink Neon Sign

Well-known NZ chef Peter Gordon has announced a new food embassy, cooking school, dining room and retail, launching near the city waterfront next month. 

“My partner and I were attracted to Wynyard Quarter’s harbourside vibrancy and buzz, and closeness to downtown. We wanted to create a meaningful business that we could also walk to, and an incredible site came up in Westhaven that will be a great base for HOMELAND. Public Transport links are terrific, and they were also key in our decision to move and work here.

As well as businesses opening, we're seeing a number of property owners investing in their properties, with full redevelopments or facelifts underway on several Queen Street buildings. Blvgari's impending arrival at 75 Queen Street is all over the site hoardings and 246 Queen's upgrade has recently been completed, with the elevator thoroughfare between Queen and Lorne Street and The Cosmetic Clinic open now and more tenants to be announced soon.

Take a shortcut from Queen Street to Lorne Street through the newly renovated 246 Queen - The Cosmetic Clinic is visible on the right.

Recently opened

• Ahi, Commercial Bay
• Belly Worship, Victoria Street
• Calvin Klein, Commercial Bay
• Daily Bread, Federal Street
• Daily Bread, Britomart
• Howlin' Wolf Cuts & Coffee, Wellesley Street
• Kingi, Britomart
• Pink neon sign, High Street
• Park Hyatt Auckland, Wynyard Quarter
• Pasword Food Mart, Queen Street
• Saxon + Parole, Commercial Bay
• The Cosmetic Clinic, Queen Street
• The Hotel Britomart, Britomart
• Tommy Hilfiger, Commercial Bay
• Wander, Wynyard Quarter
• Wynn Hamlin, Commercial Bay
• ZinG, High Street

Opening soon

• MontBlanc, Queen Street - 16 October
• Travelodge Hotel Auckland Wynyard Quarter - 28 October
• QT Auckland - 1 November
• HOMELAND, Westhaven - November
• Blvgari, Queen Street