18,182 m2. Eight floors. Delivered above one of Australia’s busiest retail environments.
Renascent has completed the fitout of Kmart Group’s new national office at 1 Middle Road, Chadstone, consolidating Kmart and Target teams into a single unified headquarters.
This was more than a relocation. It was a strategic consolidation designed to bring teams together within a workplace that reflects the way the business operates. Open, consistent floorplates are complemented by integrated merchandising range rooms, fit rooms and fabric libraries, embedding product and brand directly into the working environment.
Engaged early through ECI, Renascent worked alongside Kmart Group and the consultant team to ensure the design aligned with budget, buildability and programme from the outset.
This early involvement informed several key decisions. Most notably, the team retained newly installed base building ceilings rather than proceeding with their planned removal. The approach avoided unnecessary demolition, reduced waste and delivered significant savings.
A transparent, open-book process and a carefully managed workstation and furniture tender further reinforced commercial discipline across the project, ensuring quality and brand alignment without compromising value.
Positioned above an operational shopping centre, the project required careful sequencing to ensure retail trade continued uninterrupted, including throughout peak Christmas activity.
Twenty shipping containers of furniture were coordinated through constrained loading docks across a two-week period. Compliance witness testing, including full function fire and stair pressurisation testing, was planned around constant public movement below.
A high hazard storage zone requiring three-hour fire separation was delivered without constructing from the live mall. Vermiculite-treated smoke exhaust ductwork and custom structural supports were integrated within Kmart’s racking systems, maintaining both compliance and operational capacity.
The project reached completion early January enabling the first tranche of 1600 staff to transition into the new workplace in mid-January 2026.
The result is a unified headquarters delivered through early collaboration, disciplined value management and controlled execution within a complex, live environment.
