Newspaper Article – Signs businesses in the east mall picking up

Signs business in the east mall picking up

There have been positive signs that business activity is picking up again in the east mall in Heretaunga Street.

In recent weeks up to a half-a-dozen empty shops in the mall created a gloomy business atmosphere and the situation wasn’t helped with the ANZ Post Bank out of action for a major refit program.

But now the bank is back in business on its comer site after an $800,000 dollar facelift and with it has come an increase in pedestrian shopping traffic.

The situation in the mall has also been helped with extensions carried out at the Cobb and Co complex and a games and modelling specialist, Mark One Games, has moved into the mall.

A face lift is planned for Elmar’s Impressions Photo Service when it changes its image to become part of the Fuji Image Plaza group.

It has all been “good news” for Hastings Mainstreet’s president Sue Hardy.

She said things were not looking “too good a while back” but the recent moves had helped boost business confidence again in the east mall