KEY POINTS:
Two businessmen instrumental in founding the Dress-Smart retail chain have turned their attention to a suburban Auckland development.
Nigel Powell and Graeme Edwards are about to start building a new boutique retail centre at Greenhithe.
Powell and Edwards are from Argyle Estate, which they said had designed and built many properties in the past 16 years.
Argyle has consent to develop the neighbourhood shopping complex, to be called Greenhithe Village Centre.
Powell said the centre had the backing of the Greenhithe Residents, Ratepayers and Community Hall Association and would bring a convenient new shopping centre to the area. Residents now travelled about 10km to Westgate or 12km to Albany for shopping.
Building is due to start next month and the new centre is scheduled to open next March.
Powell formed Argyle with Edwards in the early 1990s, mainly to undertake what he called niche low-risk property investments.
"As well as developing the Dress-Smart factory outlet centres, Argyle Estates has built 10 medical centres, five retail centres, a hospital in Fiji and a number of other commercial developments," he said.
Powell was a founding director of Dress-Smart and is also a director of Auckland Memorial Park. He has a niche publishing company, Barmouth House.
Edwards is a director of many companies, mostly involved in property. He is also a director of Alloy Yachts International and Hamilton's failed Alpha Aviation, in receivership and liquidation.
