3 months ago
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Nestled in the back corner of the first floor of a northern Sydney shopping centre is an artefact of the 1970s.
With its classic red and green logo and checked tile floors, seemingly untouched by almost 50 years of time, is Eastwood Woolworths.
Eastwood Woolworths opened in 1976, and little has changed about its facade since then. Credit: Peter Rae
Woolworths was an original tenant of Eastwood Shopping Centre when it opened in 1976. Just two years ago it underwent one of its biggest and only aesthetic changes since that time: the addition of self-checkouts.
On Monday this masthead reported that the centre is among a number of local malls set for redevelopments to add high-rise apartments to retail hubs across the city.
The Eastwood redevelopment, which would add 411 units to the site, would also include renovations to the existing shopping centre, placing the future of its time-capsule supermarket in doubt.
Eastwood local Ben Binskin has been shopping at the Woolworths for nearly four decades. He said the retro sign has nostalgic value but acknowledges that times change.
“It is very outdated but it is also a relic of the past,” he said.
Eastwood local Ben Binskin says the old Woolworths is comforting, and an icon of the area. Credit: Steven Siewert
“I think, for old-school locals like me, it’s kind of comforting that this is the final frontier of Eastwood.”
Not all residents seem to care, however. Some approached by the Herald this week had not noticed the supermarket had a retro look.
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Others said they come to Eastwood for local Asian grocers and fresh food vendors, so the chain supermarket was a non-issue. Many choose to shop at West Ryde Shopping Centre as it is bigger and has a greater selection of products.
Ryde Councillor Justin Li agreed that residents overwhelmingly support a renovated shopping centre and car park but will be sad to see the quirky store go.
“I think it’s a bit of a time capsule,” he said, “This is like the Woolies that time sort of forgot.”
Binskin said redevelopment offered improved parking infrastructure and room for more businesses to serve the Eastwood community.
“I do think that the development will be a good thing for the community. At the end of the day, this is an old-school centre – it needs a revamp, it needs some new content, it needs some new businesses,” he said.
A Woolworths spokesperson said the supermarket was not going anywhere but did not respond to questions about whether a store in the new development would retain its retro features.
“We have an active lease in the shopping centre, one we’ve been a part of for many years, and remain committed to the community of Eastwood,” they said.
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