The exodus of retailers from The Palms Shopping Centre is continuing, with more businesses closing their doors at the Shirley mall.

Australian fashion retailer Jay Jays, which is owned by Myer Holdings through the Just Group, has ceased trading at centre.

Dubai inspired dessert eatery Choco Berries has become the latest casualty at The Palms, closing just eight months after opening.

Their exits come just two weeks after Pita Pit also closed its doors at the mall. Chris Lynch Media counted 12 vacant shops during a visit to The Palms on Friday.

The centre referred questions about the vacancies to its national marketing team. Savills Australia and New Zealand National Marketing and Communications Manager Elizabeth Easton said, “we can confirm that Choco Berries and Jay Jays have both ceased trading at The Palms.

“Retailer movements are a normal part of the leasing cycle, and we are actively progressing leasing opportunities for both spaces, with announcements to be made in due course.

“The Palms continues to offer a strong retail mix while evolving its offering to meet the needs of the local community.”

Surfwear retailer Amazon Surf closed in May after its parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States.

In November 2025, Stirling Sports closed its stores after the company operating the Christchurch locations at The Palms and Northlands Shopping Centre went into liquidation. Other locations remain operational.

Cafe Bean & Co closed in April 2024. Five months later, The Oasis Virtual Reality and Entertainment Centre went into liquidation. Kmart closed its store at The Palms Shopping Centre in early 2020, relocating to a larger standalone site at Northlink in Papanui.

Bed Bath and Beyond also left The Palms and opened a significantly larger Home Store just 1.6kms up the road at Homebase Shirley. Life Pharmacy closed in 2023, along with restaurant Jaba Grill and Bar located outside the mall at the southern entrance way.

Despite strong reviews, Perfect Plate, which replaced Jaba Grill and Bar, closed last year. The site has since been taken over by another Indian restaurant.

A former tenant told chrislynchmedia.com businesses in that section of the mall were set up to fail, calling it “the cursed corner.”

Local favourites continue to thrives

However, neighbouring venues Cocopelli and Coffee Culture continue to attract strong local support and remain busy fixtures in the area. Cocopelli Managing Director Jeanette Francis said the restaurant’s success came down to a strong team culture, and loyal customers.

“We aim to always be consistent. Our goal is to treat our team well and have low staff turnover. This enables us to maintain consistency with our food and service, and to get to know our regulars really well.

“We have owned the restaurant for coming up 15 years, and Cocopelli has been around for just over 20 years. I believe you need to have a true passion for hospitality and people, and that will always be reflected in your food and service.

“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for our great team and loyal customers. I still love being part of the team,” Francis said.

When Chris Lynch Media visited Coffee Culture on Friday, it was as busy as ever. Manager Jacinda Jackson, who has worked at the cafe for almost 19 years, said its success came down to more than what was in the cup.

“It’s more based around the community, not just serving coffee, but serving our guests. It’s about the whole experience,” she said.

Jackson said the cafe offered a wide variety of food across different price ranges and had built a loyal customer base over the years. “We’ve got regular faces who have been walking down here since we opened, and we still see them. Lots of people we know by name, not just their coffee orders,” she said.

She said easy parking was another drawcard, particularly early in the day. “It’s awesome in the mornings for the tradies. They can get their vans and trailers into the car park, grab their coffees, and get back out into the traffic flow,” she said.

 

An online leasing brochure, promoting the Palms, dated December 2022, still lists The Oasis as an anchor tenant and Stirling Sports as operating at the centre.

A retailer at the mall, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the centre was “probably dying by a thousand cuts.” “Sure while Chemist Warehouse and the gym attract people, they do not appear to be translating into increased foot traffic for the wider mall” the retailer said.

Savills Australia and New Zealand Communications Manager Elizabeth Easton said “The Palms continues to play an important role in the local community, and we remain confident in the centre’s future. Our focus is on continuing to evolve the retail offering to meet the needs of our customers.”

A new sign at the mall said a One NZ store was due to open shortly.

 

The mall was originally developed in the 1990s by Christchurch brothers Max and Glen Percasky, who own the Homebase shopping centre north of The Palms.

HomeBase continues to gain momentum, with new eateries, large format retailers and plans for a supermarket as it expands its retail offering.