Books Kinokuniya to open first Melbourne store in $170m Melbourne Central expansion

Renowned for sprawling bookstores filled with English and Japanese-language books, manga, art and design titles, magazines and premium stationery, Kinokuniya will initially open a temporary concept store on Level 2, before relocating to its permanent Victorian flagship in the first half of 2028.

Books Kinokuniya Australia managing director Satoshi Yada said Melbourne’s literary identity made the city a natural choice.

“As a UNESCO City of Literature, we believe Melbourne’s creative and literary culture aligns deeply with Kinokuniya’s identity,” he said.

“As we explored opportunities in Victoria, Melbourne Central stood out in particular because of its unique and easily accessible location, and its strong connection with younger audiences and contemporary lifestyle.”

The Melbourne Central home will join the company’s flagship store at The Galeries in Sydney’s CBD, and its Westfield Chatswood store, which opened in April.

Kinokuniya entered Australia in 1996 with a store at Neutral Bay in North Sydney before it relocated to The Galeries in 2002, where its range now spans more than 300,000 titles, with event spaces for author appearances and craft workshops.

Kinokuniya is the first major tenant announced for GPT’s redevelopment of the five-storey Melbourne Central, which, once complete, will operate with extended trading hours as an 18-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week destination.

Construction company Maben, with ARM Architects, will transform Level 3 and Level 4 of the shopping centre – which opened in 1991 – and increase its retail footprint from 55,000 square metres to almost 63,000 square metres.

About 7800 square metres of new retail space will be added, including a large-format entertainment venue, new dining precincts and more than 10 food retailers, who will be announced over the coming months as leasing is finalised.

It will feature a mix of dining restaurant and casual dining concepts, ranging from slower sit-down experiences through to grab-and-go operators, designed to support visitation throughout the day and into the evening.

Located adjacent to RMIT University with direct access to the new State Library station, the centre spans two city blocks between Lonsdale and La Trobe streets.

The centre, which features more than 260 retailers, has consistently ranked among Australia’s strongest performers for specialty retail sales, underpinning GPT’s decision to invest further in the asset, given it generates record annual sales of more than $700 million and attracts about 55 million visitors each year.

GPT Group’s head of retail Chris Barnett said Kinokuniya’s Victorian flagship would bring a new point of difference to the centre.

“The introduction of Melbourne’s first flagship Books Kinokuniya store brings a unique point of difference to the city’s retail landscape,” he says.

“Combined with premium entertainment and dining experiences, the development will unlock significant value and create an even more compelling destination for visitors to meet, shop, dine and play in the heart of the city.

“Our Melbourne Central expansion will build on the centre’s strong performance and reinforce its position as one of Australia’s leading retail and lifestyle destinations.

“With Melbourne CBD retail sales exceeding $3.9 billion annually and consumers increasingly seeking out experience-led destinations, we are seeing strong demand for high-quality entertainment, leisure and dining offerings in the city.”

Founded in a modest two-storey timber bookshop in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district in 1927, Kinokuniya has grown to operate more than 140 stores worldwide, including its 11-storey Tokyo flagship.