Westfield Chermside Archives - Page 4 of 6

Make Your Gift List! Santa Claus is Coming to Westfield Chermside

Photo Credit: Supplied

Have you made your gift list and checked it twice? Santa has and he is on his way to Westfield Chermside.

Look out for Santa Claus on Saturday, 12 November 2022, at 9:00 a.m. near Event Cinemas on Level 1. There will be music, dancing and cheer so let’s start the most wonderful time of year by welcoming the jolly man back to his red chair.

After two years of socially distanced Christmas photos, the highly anticipated tradition of family photos with Santa is back to its holly jolly best, with the man in red welcoming guests to once again stand by his side, join him on his red velvet throne, or even find a spot on his knee.

Bookings are now open for the full suite of Santa photography, including:

The introduction of Auslan Santa at Westfield Chermside, giving children who are Deaf or hard of hearing the chance to share their Christmas wish list directly with an Auslan-fluent Santa;
Sensitive Santa, where families can enjoy a relaxed, sensory-friendly experience; and
Pet Photography, for families whose children include their furry, feathered or scaled babies.

The festive season will be in full swing for families in all Westfield centres with Santa photography, surprise and delight moments, community gifting opportunities and festive celebrations as we officially welcome Mr Claus and his elves to town. To celebrate Santa’s arrival, Westfield Living Centres in Queensland will be decking the halls and hosting the following festivities:

Westfield Carindale	Santa has made his list and checked it twice. Customers will be asked to welcome Santa and his trusted elves in style to Westfield Carindale at 10am and 12pm, 12 November.
	Holiday bites & delights at Westfield Carindale every Saturday in November from 10am: Throughout November, Chef Carmel will be coming to the centre and showcasing a range of quick, easy, and delicious dishes (both savory and sweet!) that anyone can recreate at home.
Westfield Coomera	Join Santa, Mrs Claus and their merry friends as they parade throughout the whole centre, bringing festive cheer from 10am and then again at 12pm, 12 November
Westfield Mt Gravatt	This year, Santa’s parade will be joined by stilt walkers, pianists, singers, and snowflake ballerinas to bring the festive cheer at 9am, 12 November.
Westfield Helensvale	From hip-hop dancing elves, magical fairies, a marching band and the arrival of Santa, Westfield Helensvale will be welcoming the Christmas magic into centre at 9:30 am, 12 November.
Westfield North Lakes	Santa will be arriving at Westfield North Lakes joined by your Minions Bob and Stuart, PAW Patrol’s Chase and Marshall and Smurf’s Papa Smurf, Smurfette, and many more memorable characters.
	Join Rudolph and Mrs. Claus for a magical breakfast at Coffee Hit, exclusive to Westfield Plus members. Tickets will be available from Sunday 13 November.

The fun doesn’t stop with Santa’s Arrival! Until Wednesday 30 November, customers can be in to ‘Win Westfield’s Top Christmas Gifts’, entering the Westfield Plus Zone for a chance to win one of five prize packs stuffed with this Christmas’ must-have goodies.

Customers can visit their local Westfield centre website to discover the full line-up of festivities. Bookings are essential for Santa photography sessions and can be made online via: www.westfield.com.au

Coming to Westfield Chermside: Auslan Santa Experience for Hearing-Impaired Children

Westfield Chermside and selected Westfield Living centres will soon be visited by Auslan Santa, as part of a pilot program to bring Christmas cheer to deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

Following the success of the 2019-launched Westfield’s Sensitive Santa – a program for children with sensory processing challenges – Westfield announced the launch of Auslan Santa. The sessions, conducted in Australian Sign Language (Auslan) will be longer and will have helpers and an interpreter on hand to facilitate the activities.

Sensitive Santa started as a trial concept made available for those with sensory challenges, anxiety, disabilities, or families who simply require more time. It was initially trialled in one Westfield centre in 2017 before being rolled out to all 42 centres in 2019 across Australia and New Zealand.

“Auslan Santa continues our commitment to make the magical Santa experience more accessible to more of our customers. We are very proud to launch this pilot initiative in selected Westfield Living Centres this year, with a view to launch it more widely in 2023 and beyond.”
Scentre Group National Community Experience Manager, Pam Wilson

Auslan Santa is coming to Westfield featuring the Callaghan family — Auslan_Santa is coming to Westfield featuring the Callaghan family | Photo Credit: Dan Gosse

The new Auslan Santa program is developed in collaboration with Deaf Australia and will offer the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community the opportunity to visit select Westfield Living Centres in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland, including Westfield Chermside, to enjoy their own dedicated Auslan Santa session.

Deaf Australia is a peak Deaf-led organisation representing Deaf, Deafblind and hard-of-hearing people in Australia who use Auslan (aka Australian Sign Language) as their primary form of communication. In addition to supporting the development of Auslan Santa at Westfield, Deaf Australia and event service providers, Scene to Believe, have also been working to educate and train all Westfield Santas to better interact with Deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

Bookings are open for Auslan Santa in Queensland at Westfield Chermside on Friday 02 December 2022. Westfield Parramatta in New South Wales and Westfield Southland in Victoria will hold their separate Auslan Santa sessions.

New South Wales
Westfield Parramatta
Date: Saturday 26 November
Time: 3pm – 6pm

Victoria
Westfield Southland
Date: Sunday 27 November
Time: 3pm – 6pm

Queensland
Westfield Chermside
Date: Friday 02 December
Time: 3pm – 6pm

Santa Photography Key Dates:

Bookings open to Westfield Plus members: 12 October 2022
Santa’s arrival in Westfield Centres: From 12 November 2022
Photography dates: From 12 November (may vary by centre) until 24 December 2022

Customers can find out more and book sessions by visiting the Westfield website.

Book here.

Westfield Chermside | Gympie Rd, Chermside QLD 4032, Australia

Westfield Chermside Names Local Heroes For 2022

Two women supporting thousands of families through their charities and an Aboriginal elder who has been mentoring young people for 30 years have been named Westfield Local Heroes for 2022 at Westfield Chermside.

Read: Chermside Beauty Wins First Miss Voluptuous International Crown in Nashville

Kerry Gordon | Precious Wings

Kerry Gordon, founder of Precious Wings charity, is this year’s Local Hero, receiving a $20,000 grant for her organisation. Ms Gordon is a paediatric nurse practitioner working in the Paediatric Palliative Care Service.

The creation of Precious Wings was driven by the experience of the loss of a child. Through the charity, Ms Gordon offers love, hope, understanding, and support to families, so they never feel alone after their bereavement. The charity also educates healthcare staff about caring for bereaved families.

Rebecca Adams | First Light Widowed Association

Like Ms Gordon, Rebecca Adams is also touching people’s lives. After losing her husband at 33, six weeks after their wedding, Ms Adams put her energy into helping others in her position.

She is one of the founders of First Light Widowed Association, which provides practical and emotional support to thousands of people.

As a finalist of Westfield Local Heroes, Ms Adams received $5,000 to help her continue their work of her organisation.

Gary Cobbo | Kurbungui Youth and Family Development

Another finalist who received a $5,000 grant for his organisation was Uncle Gary Cobbo. He is a respected Aboriginal leader who has dedicated over three decades of his life mentoring and supporting hundreds of local young people.

At Kurbungui Youth and Family Development, he is always ready to offer people food and a safe place to have a yarn, efforts that he hopes will lead to life-changing interventions.

Pam Wilson, National Community Experience Manager and creator of the Westfield Local Heroes program congratulated the recipients and thanked the communities for casting their votes to help determine the 2022 Westfield Local Heroes.
“As we celebrate our fifth year of the Westfield Local Heroes program, we are once again overwhelmed by the inspiring nominations this year. Through the success of the program, we are proud to be able to continue to recognise and reward everyday people doing extraordinary work in our communities,” Ms Wilson said.

About the Westfield Local Heroes

Scentre Group’s Westfield Local Heroes program was established in 2018 to celebrate community role models whose work benefits others across a broad range of sectors, including family and youth support, health and wellbeing, inclusion and equity, community resilience and environmental sustainability.

Read: A Tale of 4 Children and the Hummingbird House

They are nominated and voted by their communities, and they represent a diverse range of sectors. Westfield will award one Westfield Local Hero per Westfield centre a $20,000 grant for the organisation or group they represent, whilst finalists receive a $5,000 grant each.

Chermside Nominees for 2022 Westfield Local Heroes: Who’s Your Pick?

Make your pick known for the 2022 Westfield Local Heroes and shine the spotlight on the inspiring individuals who make such a positive impact in their communities. Here are the nominees from Chermside.

The 2022 Westfield Local Heroes awards program recognises the people whose work and advocacy contributes to the upliftment of the community. About 126 grants will be given across Westfield outlets in Australia and New Zealand.

These individuals, and their organisation, are recognised for their work in in areas like family and youth support, health and wellbeing, inclusion and equity, community resilience, and environmental sustainability.

Here are the nominees from Chermside.

Kerry Gordon

Kerry, a paediatric nurse practitioner, is also the founder of Precious Wings, which helps families and educates the healthcare staff of those caring for the bereaved. If Kerry is successful, Precious Wings will use its funds to set up its new premises with storage racking, furniture, and IT equipment.

Rebecca Adams

Rebecca founded the First Light Widowed Association, which offers practical and emotional support for widows, especially those who have lost their spouses at a young age. If Rebecca is successful, the First Light Widowed Association will use its funds to cover the cost of producing information packs and running support events.

Uncle Gary Cobbo

Uncle Gary, a respected Aboriginal Elder runs the Kurbingui Youth and Family Development, which mentors hundreds of young locals. If Uncle Gary is successful, Kurbingui Youth and Family Development will use its funds to run programs that provide assistance and linkages to employment and training for the youth.

Learn about their work and VOTE here.

Winners of this recognition per centre will receive a $20,000 grant that will support their work for the organisation they represent. Each of the finalists, on the other hand, will get $5,000.

Check the full list of nominees here.

Voting closes on Monday, 22 Aug 2022.

Westfield Chermside Asked to Remove Boom Gates, Allow Free Parking As Traffic Situation Worsens in Area

Some residents are appealing to the Scentre Group, owner and operator of Westfield Chermside, to temporarily remove their boom gates and allow free parking during weekends. If granted, residents hope the move will help ease the increasing traffic issues in the area exacerbated by the closure of Toombul Shopping Centre in Nundah.

As a result of the closure of the Toombul Shopping Centre in Nundah, traffic has become such a nightmare for those who live in the Chermside, Stafford and Lutwyche areas.

Customers have experienced more snarls than ever before as Toombul regulars flock to the surrounding retail precincts for alternative options.

Toombul had more than 1,700 car parking spaces at its premises but the shopping centre has permanently closed due to significant damages caused by the February floods.

Four-Hour Traffic Snarls in Westfield Chermside Area

Over the past weekends of May 2022, Westfield Chermside shoppers have complained about the nightmare traffic situation in the area, particularly instances of some locals taking up to four hours just to exit the car park.

Some motorists had been forced to ditch their cars for the day because they could no longer get out of the area. Those that managed to get out also ended up stuck in horrific bumper-to-bumper traffic outside.

Some said that this situation will become like the holiday rush traffic every weekend if no solutions are set in place.

“I was caught up in the madness on the weekend of Mother’s Day,” Glenda Macklin said. “I was stuck in the actual centre for two hours. The problem on that day was not that the boom gates were down, they were up, but there was that much traffic trying to get out of the centre and very very few exit points from the actual car park spots to down ramps.”

“I was on the second level and really there was only one exit to try and get down on to Kitty Hawk drive this was also joined by three or four other exits from different levels creating a mess on Kitty Hawk Drive,” she added.

“This is my local shopping centre and I have never seen it like this was the first time I’ve ever been caught in traffic like that at the centre.”

Asking for Help

In a statement, MP Anika Wells said that she has written to the Scentre Group concerning the boom gates and the free parking. The MP also said that she will ask the Federal Government to “commission a Gympie Road/Hamilton Road planning study to investigate the best solution to this notorious intersection.”

The Scentre Group has not made any comments about the traffic issues. Westfield Chermside has around 7,200 car parking spaces. In 2020, shoppers were upset when the Scentre Group cut the hours for free parking and the traffic issues did not improve.

Expect Great Burgers With a Side of Snide As Karen’s Diner Opens at Westfield Chermside

Photo Credit: Karen’s Diner / Facebook

Get mouth-watering burgers with a side of snide, plus rudeness all around, as Karen’s Diner opens at its new pop-up location in Westfield Chermside.

The 18th of May 2022 will see Westfield Chermside’s Woolworths Food Court become one joint larger with the entry of Karen’s Diner.

Originally planned to open in South Bank, Karen’s Diner has made a name for itself through its satirical take on its name. Featuring 100% “rude staff,” Karen’s Diner is a place where customers can let loose and be a “Karen,” all in the spirit of fun, of course. (And no offense to polite Karens everywhere!)

As an added warning, the most Karen of all Karen, aka “The Manager”, might make a special appearance, so be prepared for extreme “rudeness” ever to come your way.

Apart from rude service and singing waiters, this one-of-a-kind restaurant also boasts a palate-pleasing burger menu along with fries, sweet treats, shakes, tap beers, wines and cocktails.

Karen’s Diner burgers and fries — Photo Credit: Karen’s Diner / Facebook

If it is your first time experiencing Karen’s Diner, you might want to try The Basic Karen made with wagyu beef, American cheese, tomato, oak lettuce, beetroot and garlic mayo.

Or level up with “I Want to See the Manager” Karen with double patties and double slices of Manager cheese plus bacon, lettuce, pickles and Manager BBW mustard sauce.

Check out the full menu here.

Karen’s Diner opens shop in Brisbane — *Photo Credit: Karen’s Diner / Facebook*

The Westfield Chermside venue joins other Karen’s Diner locations in Sydney, Gold Coast, Melbourne and the UK. The one-of-a-kind restaurant may not stay for long in Chermside, though, so be sure to check out their store located at Level 1 near Woolworths Food Court.

Go ahead, book here and live out your Karen dreams.

New 24/7 Krispy Kreme Outlet May Open At Westfield Chermside

Photo credit: https://developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au/

If you love the idea of devouring ‘hot and fresh donuts’ any time of the day, you will be delighted to know that a development application has been submitted for a 24/7 Krispy Kreme at Westfield Chermside.

Read: Burringbar Park Hockey Facility in Chermside Enhanced With New Amenities

Scentre Limited, the company that owns Westfield Chermside, has submitted a development application to the Brisbane City Council for a new drive-through stand alone Krispy Kreme.

Plans (A005834339) revealed it would be located in an area that has only previously been used for carparking. The proposed development results in a net reduction of 53 ancillary car parking spaces in the Stage 1 area.

Photo credit: https://developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au/

Based on the planning documents, the work will be done in two stages. Stage 1 involves the car park redevelopment, construction of the Krispy Kreme with drive-through facilities, and a pedestrian pathway.

Proposed Stage 1 development (Photo credit: https://developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au/)

Works for Stage 2 would include the refurbishment of the southwest shopping centre’s external forecourt area, to improve the arrival experience through provision of improved landscaping, casual seating areas and a defined pathway to the shopping centre entry.

It also includes refurbishment of part of Level 1 above the south-west shopping centre entry, to enable expansion of an existing tenancy to create a larger tenancy area and kiosk for use as food and drink outlets.

Proposed Stage 2 development (Photo credit: https://developmenti.brisbane.qld.gov.au/)

“The refurbishments proposed to the south-west shopping centre entry forecourt area will provide sub-tropical ground level landscaping and a water feature, casual seating areas and breakout space, and a safe and well-defined pathway to the shopping centre entry,” the town planning report reads.

At present, there are 31 stores in Australia and seven of which are in Queensland. But this one in Chermside, if approved, would be the first 24/7 outlet for the renowned brand in QLD. The first Krispy Kreme outside the United States was also established in Australia way back in 2003 at Penrith.

Sports Retailer rebel Opens New Concept Store in Chermside

At the new rebel sport concept store in Chermside, customers will be able to trial their kicks by shooting hoops and running on treadmills before finalising their purchases.

The new rebel concept store in Westfield Chermside, which opened on Thursday the 6th of May 2021, comes with a designated running zone and a small basketball court for customers to sample the gear before buying them, all while experts on hand ensure that people walk away with goods that fit them perfectly.

Their front of house team is composed of passionate experts knowledgeable across numerous sports, equipped with the knowhow necessary for offering advice in running, football, basketball, and general training. The team brings insider knowledge and expertise to the table, and aims to help customers make the most suitable purchases for themselves in order to achieve their fitness goals.

One of rebel’s priorities is helping smaller, more local brands such as Nimble and L’urv by selling their products at the store while simultaneously offering globally tried and tested products from major labels that Brisbane has become familiar with. Despite supporting local, rebel also offers products from the classics like Nike and adidas.

Photo credit: Facebook/Westfield Chermside

Following the opening of their new branch in Chermside, this marks the fourth concept store the company has launched in Australia, with the first in Doncaster, VIC, the second in Parramatta, NSW, and the third in Miranda, NSW.

rebel Chermside can be found at Gympie Rd, Chermside, open every day from 9:00 a.m. onwards with the exception of Sunday, in which the store opens at 10:00 a.m. For more information, visit the rebel website here. Follow their social media pages on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates on deals, new stock, and other special announcements concerning the company and their sportswear.

Westfield Chermside Most Difficult Place to Park in Brisbane: Survey

Westfield Chermside has been deemed the most difficult place to park in Brisbane in a new survey conducted among Australian users from the popular parking marketplace app, Parkhound.

The shopping centre on Gympie road has over 7,200 spots but Parkhound users said they experience a lot of their parking pet peeves on this site. The users also named Bondi Junction in Sydney and Woolworths Marden in Adelaide as the top places in Australia where parking is challenging.

About 58 percent of Parkhound users said that parallel parking is their biggest pet peeve followed by reverse parking with 21 percent. Some 12 percent of the users said that they do not like front-to-curb perpendicular parking, whilst eight percent said that they hated angled parking the most.

Photo Credit: Ashley Hughest/Google Maps

Parkhound users also said that they dread hitting cars when they try to parallel park. Surprisingly, some of the respondents said that would much prefer “getting swooped by a magpie” than reverse park on a tight space. There are users who also said they strongly dislike cars that take up two parking spaces or drivers who swoop in and steal the space they’ve been eyeing on.

Meanwhile, one in 10 survey respondents said that they actually love cruising parking spaces for a spot regardless if it’s time-consuming. However, 72 percent said they don’t enjoy looking for a parking space at all.

In mid-2020, Westfield Chermside changed its parking policy and cut the free parking hours for customers who do not use the store’s new phone app. Scentre Group, which manages all Westfield shopping centres said that they had to make the changes in response to the risks posed by COVID-19 and to ensure customers can park easily and quickly when they visit the stores.

To know more about how to avail of four hours of free parking on Westfield Chermside, visit their official site.

H & M Tipped to Close Multiple Australian Stores, Including Chermside

Fashion retailer H & M is closing down multiple stores in Australia, including Chermside, due to the economic impact of the pandemic and the massive shift of people’s shopping habits to online platforms.

H & M has already quietly shut down its outlet in Chatswood, NSW in January and industry insiders said that four more NSW stores are due to fold. In Queensland, at least three stores have been identified as underperforming and could close their doors as well: Chermside, Townsville and Rockhampton.

H & M outlets lease over 2,000 square metre spaces at various shopping centres and its closure will also impact the landlords who will need to find new tenants or come up with an alternative usage for the empty space.

In Chermside, the store is at Westfield Chermside on Gympie Road, owned by the Scentre Group.

According to reports, H & M’s sales fell by 18 percent in 2020, prompting its operations to consider closing 250 stores around the world. In October 2020, the retailer debuted its online store in Australia and said that it will pour more investments into its digital properties.

H & M has not released a statement regarding the closures. The company first opened its Australian store in Melbourne in 2014 and soon expanded to 49 outlets across the country.