While the announcement of Canberra's first UNIQLO store opening in late 2023 created a lot of excitement among the community, questions were raised about the future of other stores in the Canberra Centre.
Canberrans began noticing new signs put up in Ainslie Mall revealing the opening of UNIQLO on Sunday evening, and word quickly spread.
Others began to question whether another loved store that once stood in its place, Cotton On, would be returning to the centre.
Another of the Cotton On Group, Supre, was also located in the Mall, whose space has become part of the allocated area set to become UNIQLO.
A spokesperson from Cotton On revealed they expect the store to return in the future.
"With the Canberra Centre in redevelopment, we are taking the opportunity to elevate our customer experience within the centre and are excited to share our new space with our customers in the future," they said.
However, it looks like it may not be located near where it used to be.
While he didn't confirm anything about the future of Cotton On, Canberra Centre general manager Gary Stewart said there is a lot in store for the area of the centre.
"Ainslie Mall is currently undergoing significant upgrades, with a particular emphasis on athleisure, adventure and the outdoors, allowing us to bring an even better mix of retailers, including a few firsts for Canberra, to our visitors," he said.
"The Mall has just seen the opening of Canberra's first National Geographic store, and in late 2023, Canberra's first UNIQLO store and Rebel flagship RCX Accelerate store will both open nearby.
"We are very excited to announce further additions to Ainslie Mall, including some nationally-recognised names, in the near future."
Mr Stewart said the new and improved Ainslie Mall, following the success of Tiger Lane, are together part of a revitalisation of the centre as a whole.
"The upgrade of Ainslie Mall follows the recent opening of the new Tiger Lane precinct in late-May, which ... introduces a never-before-seen dining experience for Canberra," he said.
"The Canberra Centre team works hard to ensure we continue to deliver an exceptional shopping, dining and entertainment experience for Canberrans and visitors alike, and we are excited to share the changes we are enacting at the centre.
"We are committed to ensuring that Canberra Centres continues to meet the needs of our dynamic and diverse community and look forward to making some exciting announcements in the near future."
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