The new storage business at the Te Ngae Shopping Centre. Photo / Supplied
The new storage business at the Te Ngae Shopping Centre. Photo / Supplied
Rotorua's Te Ngae Shopping Centre has been given a spruce-up after a local developer bought a chunk of the buildings and gave them "love" and attracted a new tenant.
Tony Bradley from TPB Properties said he had been trying to buy the main building at the Te Ngae Shopping Centrefor the past six years.
The building housed the former Smiths City and the current Coin Save business, a hairdresser, a bakery and St Vincent De Paul.
Bradley said the deal finally went through this year and he has spent the past few weeks repainting it, replacing the roof and tidying up the area.
A new tenant, Safeguard Self Storage, has gone where Smiths City used to be and will open soon.
Bradley said the shopping centre had looked run down in recent years and it hadn't been helped by the fact the main part of the building had been empty since Smiths City left in 2014.
What it looked like before. Photo / Supplied
"It hasn't had a lot of love spent on it before."
However, he was confident in the eastern suburbs of Rotorua and said things were moving out that side of the city and it was great to see it looking fresher.
"We have signed new leases with the old tenants and they are feeling good their building has had a bit of money spent on it and has been given a facelift. When you make the buildings look nice, it makes them want to stay and sign new leases.
"All of the neighbours are happy too they are seeing something happening out there."
Bradley said he had fenced off the paddock area at the rear of the building, which had prevented what he had been told were people coming to the area and doing "burnouts".
"It's a good area out here and there's a lot of things happening."
Bradley said he was also happy he had attracted another new business to Rotorua with Safeguard Self Storage from Hamilton opening the Rotorua branch.
Bradley said he tried to get storage a few months ago for some of his belongings and found it difficult.
"So I thought to myself 'I know what my next business venture is going to be'."
Safeguard Self Storage is a new business at Te Ngae Shopping Centre. Photo / Supplied
Safeguard Self Storage owner Terry King said he already had five branches around the country and he was looking for an opportunity to open up in Rotorua.
He said Rotorua was a "go forward region" and he was happy to open another branch here.
"Tony has tidied it all up and it looks fantastic."
He has employed a Rotorua manager and they hoped to open in two weeks.
"Storage can sometimes be a tough time for people as it can come about as a result of deaths, marriage breakdowns or financial problems from downsizing so we are happy to have a central location to help make it easier for Rotorua people."
Bradley has also bought the former Outdoorsman Headquarters building on Tarawera Rd and the main new tenant is a soon-to-be-announced government department.
The other tenants are Bike Culture, which has already moved in, and Body Headquarters.
Bradley also owns the block on the corner of Tarawera and Te Ngae Rds that includes tenants Good Eastern Taphouse and Anytime Fitness.
