Coronation Property is taking a fresh approach to mixed-use development, using data, curation and community to create destinations designed for how people live today.
Retail has long been treated as an afterthought in mixed-use developments. A project’s completion typically coincides with a handover to another business, but Coronation Property has taken a different approach, focusing on owning and managing its precincts for the long term rather than exiting at completion.
Across Mason & Main in Merrylands and a pipeline of six incoming Sydney precincts, the developer is making the case that curated, long-term retail is not a supporting act. It is, as Head of Retail Joanna Russell puts it, “the heart of the community”.
Mason & Main is proof that the approach works, for both its residents and retail partners. The team researched the area and its demographics, harnessing data to deliver a project that would become the blueprint for the Coronation difference. So, what is that difference?
Aras Labutis, Head of Urban Transformations at Coronation, says the company establishes a clear precinct vision before a development application is lodged. “During the design concept phase, we identify the uses that will best serve the future community, whether that’s food and beverage, wellness, flexible workspace or everyday convenience,” Labutis explains. “That strategy then informs how we brief the design team and shape the precinct.”
Coronation works with tier-one architects to design what Labutis calls “magnetic destinations”, which are places people return to, not just pass through. The goal is for residents and retailers to arrive together at Coronation precincts, with businesses up and running as occupants move in.
Russell says the leasing strategy always begins with understanding the future community rather than approaching leasing as an exercise in simply filling available space.
“We carefully assess local demographics, resident needs, lifestyle trends, surrounding competition and the role each operator will play within the broader precinct ecosystem,” she says.
Commercial capability is important, but it sits alongside other criteria, including quality of customer experience, alignment with the overall vision of a precinct, operational excellence, contribution to activation and community life, long-term growth potential, and brand authenticity. Coronation also makes space for original and emerging concepts, backing operators that have a strong idea, a clear customer proposition, and the potential to contribute something distinctive to the precinct. This approach allows the retail mix to combine proven brands with new businesses that may not yet have the trading history more traditional landlords typically seek.
Iftar at Mason & Main is just one of the examples of what this looks like in practice. The family-operated Middle Eastern restaurant is a new concept for the operators and has evolved into what Russell describes as a genuine community destination, drawing customers from well beyond the immediate Merrylands catchment. “It serves exceptional food, but it also creates opportunities for the community and our residents to come together, celebrate culture and connect with one another,” she says. It is, she adds, exactly the type of operator Coronation is looking for, a business that delivers community value as well as commercial performance.
Mason & Main’s tenant mix reflects this philosophy, alongside a focus on convenience. Labutis says a key driver of the retail offering is the reality that many residents are time poor. “People increasingly expect their neighbourhood to support the rhythms of daily life,” he says. “They want access to coffee, groceries, dining, wellness and services without having to leave the precinct.”
At Merrylands, the retail mix brings together everyday convenience, dining, wellness and services in one connected precinct. Chemist Warehouse and Petbarn support daily needs, while operators including Yuzu, Nando’s, Macelleria, Sogogi Korean BBQ, San Churro, Oakberry and Butterfield create a diverse food and beverage offer. One Playground anchors the wellness component, complemented by childcare and health and beauty services, including GlowWave, Barber Workshop and Professionail. Together, the mix gives residents access to much of what they need close to home, while also creating reasons for visitors from the wider community to spend time in the precinct.
Other precincts on the way
Erskineville Village will build on this focus on everyday convenience when it opens in early 2028. The precinct will be anchored by the only full-line Coles supermarket in the primary trade area, alongside Liquorland and about 17 food and beverage, health, beauty and wellness tenancies, with leasing set to commence shortly.
The strength of Coronation’s long-term partnership model is demonstrated by the expansion of businesses into future projects. Premium fitness and wellness operator One Playground occupies a 2,700sqm space inside Mason & Main, with its success resulting in new tenancies at Precinct 75 in St Peters, due to open in 2027, and Waterloo, which is set for completion in 2028.
It’s a similar story for Korean barbecue restaurant Sogogi, which has become one of Mason & Main’s most popular hospitality operators and will also open at Precinct 75 in St Peters. Russell says the conversations that lead to growth opportunities between Coronation and existing retail partners happen early on. “What has been exciting is seeing One Playground establish such a strong presence at Merrylands and build genuine loyalty within the community,” she says. “That alignment with our long-term vision is what gives us the confidence to explore opportunities together across the portfolio.”
After identifying future expansion, Coronation engages with operators around their own network planning and growth capacity, working through lease structures to ensure the growth is sustainable for both Coronation and the operator.
Labutis echoes the sentiment and says operators positioned for portfolio growth fit with the overall vision of a precinct.
One Playground is a good example of the halo effect a strong operator can have on a precinct. “Both businesses are highly design-led and are focused on creating a distinctive customer experience,” Labutis says. “They give people a reason to return, which is fundamental to the success of a mixed-use precinct.” One Playground also draws people in throughout the day, who will often visit other retailers. “A customer may come to the precinct for a workout, then stay for a coffee, a meal or another service,” Labutis explains. “That kind of all-day visitation creates energy across the precinct and benefits the wider retail ecosystem.”
Soak Bathhouse, which will anchor the wellness offering at Albert & Archer in Chatswood, also reflects Coronation’s focus on experiential operators. The concept responds to growing demand for accessible wellbeing and recovery experiences among residents and the wider community. Labutis says the wellness trend has accelerated in recent years and has become a key focus for Coronation.
“Demand for wellness and recovery experiences has grown significantly over the past five years,” he says. “Customers increasingly expect these services to form part of their everyday lifestyle.”
Flexible work is another important part of the portfolio strategy. IWG’s Regus will occupy an anchor commercial tenancy at Precinct 75, supporting residents, local businesses and professionals seeking workspaces closer to home.
Underpinning all of this is Nation, Coronation’s integrated Build-to-Rent and mixed-use operating platform. It’s a division of the business that provides on-site operational oversight and sets it apart from conventional developers.
“The key difference with Build-to-Rent is that we retain a long-term interest in the success of the asset and the community,” says Charlotte Dillon, General Manager of Nation. “We are not simply delivering the precinct and moving on. We remain responsible for how it is managed, experienced and improved over time.”
Nation’s teams are on-site seven days a week, providing a consistent point of connection across the residential, retail and community components of a precinct. The structure has practical benefits for retailers: Decisions are made faster, issues are resolved without waiting for approval chains, and there is a direct, ongoing relationship between the landlord, residents and retail operators.
That support begins well before a retailer opens its doors. Russell says. Coronation’s in-house team and external consultants work alongside operators during the fit-out and design phases. “Our team and specialist consultants work closely with operators, identifying opportunities to manage costs without compromising the customer experience or design intent,” she says.
An app sits at the centre of how the relationship between retailers, residents and Nation functions day to day. Retailers can push promotions, events and offers directly to residents living above them. Nation can use the platform to drive foot traffic to specific operators during quieter trading periods, adjusting in real time to seasonal shifts, community events or trading patterns specific to each location. Residents can use it to book private dining spaces and, in the future, to source catering from precinct businesses.
The localised, data-informed approach is something Dillon sees as a core advantage. “Our role is to complement the existing neighbourhood rather than impose a uniform model. We curate retailers, events and services that respond to the local community while supporting the precinct’s continued evolution,” she says. “We’re constantly evolving the precinct rather than just maintaining it.”
That responsiveness extends to seasonal and cultural shifts specific to each precinct. At Merrylands, where much of the community observes Ramadan, Nation adapts its approach during Ramadan to reflect how and when the community gathers. “During Ramadan, we work with retailers to consider later trading patterns around Iftar [the evening meal during Ramadan], when residents and the wider community are gathering to break their fast,” Dillon explains. “It’s about being flexible and responsive to the rhythms of each community, not applying a blanket approach.”
The establishment of a community doesn’t happen by accident. Russell says. Coronation’s architects deliberately position retail frontages to activate streets, laneways and public spaces, creating natural gathering places, with flexible tenancy layouts built in from the start, which means the spaces can adapt as businesses evolve.
Nation’s precinct-wide programming, from markets and cultural events to casual resident gatherings, also helps create a neighbourhood, while ensuring the ground plane remains active beyond conventional trading hours. “Buildings provide the physical setting, but it is the programming, communication, and everyday interactions between people that create a genuine sense of community,” Dillon says.
For Russell and Coronation, retail has a broader role to play in shaping community life. “We believe retail should be viewed as community infrastructure in the same way that parks, public spaces and transport connections are,” she says.
“The best retail environments do far more than provide goods and services. They create opportunities for people to gather, connect, celebrate and participate in community life. A local café becomes a meeting place. A restaurant becomes somewhere families celebrate milestones. A wellness operator helps residents prioritise their health. These businesses become part of the social fabric of a neighbourhood.”
Collectively, Coronation’s pipeline represents about 24,000sqm of retail, wellness, hospitality and commercial space embedded within residential communities across Sydney. This includes Precinct 75 in St Peters, Albert & Archer in Chatswood, and projects in Parramatta, Erskineville, Waterloo and St Leonards, which are all due to open between 2027 and 2029. The predominantly Build-to-Rent pipeline is forecast to deliver over 5,000 new homes.
For retailers considering where to put down long-term roots, the proposition is straightforward: This is not a landlord looking to fill space. It is a platform built on the belief that retail can transform buildings into genuine communities. As Australia’s mixed-use sector matures, the competitive advantage may no longer lie in who can build the biggest precincts, but in who can operate the best ones in the long run.
- This profile on Coronation Property is published in the latest issue of SCN magazine
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