Canberra Outlet Centre (formerly known as ''DFO Canberra and Homemaker Hub'' and ''Direct Factory Outlets Canberra'') is an outlet type discount shopping centre located on the edge of

Fyshwick, Australian Capital Territory Fyshwick () is a retail and light industrial suburb of Canberra, Australia, east of the South Canberra district. At the , Fyshwick had a population of 56. It has many motor vehicle dealers, stores selling home furnishings and hardware, and sto ...

, a light

industrial suburb An industrial suburb is a community, near a large city, with an industrial economy. These communities may be established as tax havens or as places where zoning promotes industry, or they may be industrial towns that become suburbs by urban spr ...

located in the southeast of Canberra. In addition to providing retail space for 100 specialty outlet stores, the Homewares/Furniture section of the centre is designed for 24 bulky goods retailers, such as furniture and electrical chains. Unlike many outlet centres, the Canberra site is not adjacent to an airport.

History

Austexx acquired land at Fyshwick in 2005 at a reported cost of $39 million following a bidding war with the owners of Canberra Airport. In a move reminiscent of the 2004

Orange Grove affair The Orange Grove affair was a political scandal in Australia concerning the dealings of the New South Wales state Australian Labor Party government with multinational corporation The Westfield Group. It resulted from a court decision in 2004 to ...

, an unsuccessful legal challenge under the

Trade Practices Act The ''Competition and Consumer Act 2010'' (CCA) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia. Prior to 1 January 2011, it was known as the ''Trade Practices Act 1974'' (TPA). The Act is the legislative vehicle for competition law in Australia, an ...

over the zoning of the site was brought against DFO by the Canberra Airport's rival venture, Brand Depot. Construction of the shopping centre involved clearing the greenfield site located adjacent to the junction of two major arterial roads,

Canberra Avenue Canberra Avenue is a major road in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. It is the primary link between the nation's capital and the city of Queanbeyan, New South Wales which lies on the Territory's eastern border. The route also passes his ...

and

Hindmarsh Drive Hindmarsh Drive is a major arterial road in the southern suburbs of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. It is named after John Hindmarsh, first Governor of South Australia. The road forms the major east to west link through the Woden Valle ...

. The centre, car parks and loading dock areas occupy 120,000m² over two levels, with the car park below the retail floor. The building was completed on behalf of DFO's parent company Austexx by construction firm Contexx Pty Ltd in September 2008 at an approximate cost of $100 million. In March 2012, the Canberra DFO was announced as being placed in receivership by its struggling parent company. In 2013, it was renamed Canberra Outlet Centre (COC). In March 2017 the 44,870 square metre shopping precinct was purchased by Armada Funds Management on behalf of Deka Immobilien.

References

{{Shopping centres in the Australian Capital Territory Shopping centres in the Australian Capital Territory Shopping malls established in 2008 2008 establishments in Australia 2017 mergers and acquisitions