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The Sporting Globe’s Chermside Success Spurs $10-M Investment in QLD

The Sporting Globe is preparing to invest $10 million into five new Queensland franchises of the hospitality brand, after the recent success of Western Chermside’s outlet. The sports bar and grill had a successful launch last February in Queensland and is doing very well at its impressive location.

James Sinclair, owner of the said business, shares: “On our third day we had the Super Bowl, and with very little publicity, we were fully booked out with over 400 people at 9 am on a Monday.’’ After spending over $2 million on The Sporting Globe Chermside, Mr. Sinclair is keen on securing more sites in South Brisbane and in the Gold Coast area.

The Sporting Globe in Australia

The hospitality chain was originally founded in Geelong, a city in Victoria. Founders James Sinclair and Brad Harris started the business in 2010. It experienced massive growth in a span of 12 months. Two new venues and annual earnings of $15-20 million were among its early achievements.

Its first Australian franchise opened in the Melbourne suburb of Richmond in 2014, the fourth company-owned venue, after Geelong, Moonee Ponds, and Fountain Gate.

A second franchise at Watergardens in Northern Melbourne opened last October. From then on, several new venues in Werribee and other nearby areas are being set for construction.

The Company’s Assets: Its People

James Sinclair opted for a franchise business, rather than a company-owned brand to be able to secure the company’s most important asset: its people. Motivating this group to do their job well is what the business values the most. Sinclair believes that this method will help build a strong business model, thus creating high-quality franchisees.

The Sporting Globe in Chermside currently employs 40 people. More job opportunities through five more establishments in Queensland are expected within the next three years. The sports bar and grill concept has filled a gap in the marketplace, given a strong Australian following of Australian and US sporting events.

Photo Credit: The Sporting Globe Chermside/Facebook

Sephora to Open First Brisbane Store in Westfield Chermside

Brisbane is in a frenzy as Sephora Australia announces the opening of its store in Westfield Chermside on April 6.

Long queues of make-up fanatics are expected on the opening date, similar to the Sephora store opening in Sydney and Gold Coast.

Libby Amelia, country manager of Sephora Australia, is thrilled about the opening. “Launching our first ever Brisbane store is a very exciting time for Sephora Australia. After such great success with our Pacific Fair store launch on the Gold Coast, it was clear that we needed to bring a SEPHORA store offering to the sunshine state capital and with many of Brisbane’s beauty junkies already shopping with us on Sephora.com.au, the new Westfield Chermside development was the perfect answer,” she said.

Sephora saw long queues and more than 700 people camping out when it opened its doors in Gold Coast. Larger crowds came to the opening of its Sydney store, with some of them even camping out for days.

Beauty addicts are drawn to Sephora for its wide selection of beauty and make-up products, free samples, appealing displays and international brands not usually sold in Australia.

Huge Opening Day

Sephora’s Brisbane launch is expected to be one huge event, especially as it coincides with the opening of the Level 2 (Gallery Mall) of Westfield Chermside. Sephora will join retail giants Zara and H&M, and 47 other stores, as they open on  that date.

The Brisbane store will feature some brands that will be exclusive to the Sephora store, including the HUDA brand, a brand created by an Instagram influencer with some 8 million followers.

The Sephora store will also have its Beauty Studio, offering customers one-on-one expert beauty services.

Customers can get to try free samples provided by the store to help them see which make-up brands work best for them. Just like any typical Sephora store, the Westfield store will offer make-up application and mapping services to guide customers as they look for beauty products.

Opening day is expected to be a blast, with freebies, treats and balloons all around. Customers can get giveaways and discounts by following Sephora on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Advocacy Group Fights for Development Priority for Suburbs

As development projects continue to pour into Brisbane CBD, an advocacy group is fighting to make suburban areas such as Chermside, Springwood and Ipswich become the priority for funding and infrastructure projects.

Suburban Alliance believes that policymakers are overlooking the suburbs as they continue to focus on urban renewal. The city has achieved great strides in urban development in the last 15 to 20 years, but throughout those years, the suburbs have been neglected.

Ross Elliott, a property industry figurehead, noticed that while the number of jobs in the suburbs accelerated faster than inside CBD, this has not translated to similar increase in development projects in the suburbs.

Mr Elliott believes that there should be more focus to turn suburbs such as Chermside, Ipswich, North Lakes and Springwood into centres for education, employment, health, business and technology.

Master-planned business park projects in Eight Mile Plains and Cannon Hill are just two examples of business hubs being built outside the CBD. Mr Elliott thinks that creating such suburban hubs would help address property affordability issues across Queensland.

As Property Supply Increases, More Chermside Lessors Offer Free-Rent Incentives

More and more lessors in Chermside are offering enhanced tenancy incentives just to lure prospective tenants.

A growing number of property owners in Chermside are providing some free rent to attract prospective tenants. This comes as a result of stronger housing supply in the suburb and the rest of Brisbane.

A year ago, property investors were giving away freebies such as gift cards or electronic gadgets to lure would-be tenants. But now, lessors are offering so much more for the tenant. Reports have it that the rent-free incentives in some of the best developments in the area can run as long as four weeks.

New Apartment Projects for Chermside

The property supply is expected to further expand as new construction projects get underway.

Chermside is reported to have one of the highest concentration of apartment properties approved for construction in the Brisbane area. According to a research study conducted by Momentum Wealth, there are a total of 704 apartment projects approved for construction in Chermside.

Other suburbs with the biggest number of approved apartments include South Brisbane with 2,084 projects, Brisbane City with 1,731, Newstead – Bowen Hills with 1,493 and West End with 846 projects in the pipeline.

The increasing volume of housing property construction is expected to affect rental income and capital growth for investors. However, the increase in construction projects is not likely to cause an oversupply in the real estate market as the number still falls within the 10-year average.