Melbourne’s CBD is having a moment. The long-awaited Metro Tunnel is about to start welcoming passengers, the Melbourne Walk precinct is bringing new life to Bourke Street Mall, and now, after a $50 million glow-up, 260 Collins Street has officially reinvented itself as Collins Arcade – a polished, distinctly Melbourne mash-up of fashion, food and play.
Reopened on November 14, the precinct’s transformation (masterminded by Kaipara Property Group with UBS Asset Management) has restored the pedestrian link between Collins and Little Collins Streets – the indoor cut-through that every Melburnian has power-walked at least once on the mad dash between Flinders Street Station and Bourke Street Mall. After a major upgrade, it’s back – lined with a seriously stacked roll-call of retailers.
On street level, you’ll find big-name fashion and accessories – Birkenstock, Swatch, TAG Heuer, Kathmandu, Tommy Hilfiger, MJ Bale, SABA, Mimco, Trenery, Politix – sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with beloved dessert spot Le Yeahllow and specialty coffee newcomer Attakai. Dip downstairs and things get rowdier thanks to Kingpin, a bar-and-grill-meets-games-den that's primed for post-work knock-offs, while the upper levels cater to your inner wellness guru, with pharmacies, hair and beauty studios and the first Melbourne outpost of cult fave Sydney sauna studio Xtra Clubs. Level two rounds things out with Active Nation’s 24/7 gym and the expansive Waterman Workspaces co-working space.
Global design firm Buchan has given the arcade a sleek, very Melbourne-coded makeover: refined materials, warm textures and a subtle architectural confidence. According to the Kaipara Property Group team, the timing couldn’t be better – with 50 per cent fewer retail vacancies in the CBD right now (compared with the same time last year), and spending in the CBD up 60 per cent compared to pre-pandemic.
More tenants are set to roll out in the coming months in the super central hub, and you can stay up to date over here.
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