Revealed: The stores going into Kmart Napier's new development

Darren Strongman and Tania Camplin who currently own Monica Loves will be opening a yet to be named cafe in the development. Photo / Warren Buckland

A new locally owned cafe and outdoor equipment chain are preparing to open in Napier as part of the Kmart development.

After work on the development on the corner of Prebensen Drive and Ford Rd began in 2019, fitouts of stores are imminent.

There have been some delays to the originally intended late 2020 opening. The Kmart work is "substantially complete" but there are minor defects being worked through, Wallace Development Company development manager Mike Walker said.

Kmart will be coming to do their fitout shortly and Walker believes they want to be able to open as soon as possible but the fitout and stocking the store requires a lot of work.

There are job openings listed on the Kmart website with March 2021 stated as the intended opening month.

Kmart did not respond to requests for comment.

The 5351sq m store, will be accompanied by stage 2 of the development which includes one retail and two hospitality tenancies.

Going into the 1200sq m retail space is outdoor equipment shop Torpedo7, the first in the region and likely to open mid to late March.

Torpedo7 head of operations Elena Baker said they are "thrilled" to open their first store in the area as part of the new retail complex.

"Hawke's Bay has endless opportunities for adventure right on its doorstep, including being home to some spectacular biking trails, waterways and walks; and so, opening a store in the region was a natural fit for us.

"Some in the area may already shop with us online, and we're looking forward to opening a physical store and giving customers access to our full range of adventure gear, coupled with our in-store services such as our bike shop."

Baker said they will have more to share about the new store in coming weeks.

Kmart Napier is ready to be fit out and stocked. Photo / Warren Buckland

A new locally owned cafe is also coming to the complex in a 172sq m modern fitted out space which will sit about 48 inside and 40 outside.

Tania Camplin and her partner Darren Strongman currently own Monica Loves in Napier and are looking forward to opening the new yet-to-be-named cafe.

Camplin said the licensed cafe will appeal to all the various Kmart shoppers and people in the area.

She anticipates tradies frequenting the cafe in the mornings with tradie specials on offer, more upmarket offerings for local business people and a range of options for the variety of people who shop at Kmart.

The cabinet food will "wow" people and they want to elevate menu staples such as offering a buttermilk fried chicken eggs benedict.

It will have a health focus with the likes of keto, paleo, vegetarian and vegan people having a variety of options to choose from but alongside the "nice" there will be a bit of a "naughty" element with champagne breakfasts and champagne cocktails on weekends.

It will be open seven days and Camplin said they plan on trialling opening later some nights in summer.

They are aiming for a mid-March opening and are currently hiring with an estimated 12-13 staff when open.

The third tenancy, a 96sq m hospitality tenancy, which will sit next to Torpedo7, is still yet to be filled but there have been a number of inquiries Walker said.

A concept image showing Salt and Burger Burger as tenants which previously circulated were simply working titles on resource consent drawings used to get signage consented as part of the resource consent process, Walker said.