Forrest Chase

Forrest Chase is a major shopping centre located in Forrest Place in the centre of Perth, Western Australia. It forms part of Perth’s central retail environment and is connected to surrounding pedestrian shopping areas, including Carillon City, by elevated walkways. The complex combines department-store, supermarket, specialty-retail, food and everyday shopping functions, with a Myer department store serving as its principal anchor and largest tenant. A Woolworths supermarket is also located within the centre, alongside other retail businesses. The present complex occupies a site with a longer commercial history. Its western section stands on land associated with the former Padbury Buildings on the eastern side of Forrest Place. The broader site also previously contained the Perth Boans department store. That earlier department-store presence was replaced by the current centre, which dates from 1986 as a shopping-complex development. Forrest Chase therefore represents a later phase in the evolution of central Perth retailing, retaining a connection with the city’s historic department-store district while operating as a multi-tenant shopping destination. The centre underwent a redevelopment between 2017 and 2019. This work marked a significant modernisation phase for the property, updating parts of the complex after several decades of operation and reinforcing its role within Perth’s central shopping network. Publicly available reference material does not establish a separate founding company, owner, parent group, listing status or executive leadership structure for the Forrest Chase brand, so those details are left unspecified here. Forrest Chase does not operate as a product manufacturer or a geographically distributed consumer-goods brand. Its offering is place-based: it provides access to retail stores and services in a central Perth location. Its importance depends on the combination of anchor tenants, specialty shops, transport accessibility and links to adjacent pedestrian malls. Although there is no direct vehicular access to the centre itself, nearby Wellington Street is the closest major road connection. The surrounding area is served by buses operating along St Georges Terrace, as well as services from Perth Busport and Elizabeth Quay Bus Station. Perth railway station is also nearby, giving the centre access to the wider metropolitan public-transport network. The brand’s positioning is consequently that of a central-city shopping destination rather than a standalone retailer. Its principal competitive advantages are its location in Forrest Place, its established presence in Perth’s retail core, its anchor tenants and its connections to neighbouring shopping and transport infrastructure. Current reference material confirms that Forrest Chase remains an active shopping complex, but does not provide enough information to document current ownership, detailed tenant changes, financial performance or a formal corporate leadership team.

Forrest Chase is situated in Forrest Place, one of the established civic and commercial areas of central Perth. The centre’s site has been used for significant retail purposes over multiple phases of the city’s development. The western portion of the present structure is associated with the former Padbury Buildings, which stood on the eastern side of Forrest Place. The site also previously accommodated Perth Boans, a department store that formed part of Perth’s earlier central-city retail landscape. The current shopping complex replaced the former Boans presence and dates from 1986. Its development reflected the continuing transformation of central Perth retailing from individual department stores toward larger, multi-tenant shopping complexes. Forrest Chase introduced a format centred on anchor tenants and a broader group of specialty retailers, allowing department-store shopping, grocery purchases and other retail activities to operate within one centrally located destination. A Myer store became the centre’s principal anchor and largest tenant. The complex also gained a Woolworths supermarket and other shops, giving it a mixed retail offer rather than a single-category focus. Its relationship with the surrounding city-centre retail network has been strengthened by elevated pedestrian links to nearby shopping areas such as Carillon City. After operating for several decades, Forrest Chase was redeveloped between 2017 and 2019. The redevelopment represented the most clearly documented major change in the centre’s recent history and was intended to renew the property while preserving its role in central Perth’s retail system. Public sources supplied for this dossier do not specify the project’s cost, individual construction phases, ownership arrangements or all tenant changes, so those details are not stated. The centre’s accessibility is primarily pedestrian and public-transport based. There is no direct vehicular access to the shopping centre, although Wellington Street is the nearest road connection. Bus services along St Georges Terrace, services from Perth Busport and Elizabeth Quay Bus Station, and nearby rail services at Perth railway station connect the centre with the wider Perth metropolitan area. This transport context supports Forrest Chase’s role as a city-centre shopping destination. The available reference material does not identify a founder, operating company, owner, parent group, current executives, financial results or formal advertising campaigns. Forrest Chase is therefore best documented as an active place-based retail brand whose history is defined by its central Perth location, the replacement of the former Boans department-store site, the 1986 shopping-complex development and the 2017–2019 redevelopment.

• 2019

  Redevelopment period completed

  [1]Forrest Chaseen.wikipedia.org

  The documented redevelopment period concluded in 2019, following the centre’s modernisation after several decades of operation.

• 2017

  Redevelopment begins

  [1]Forrest Chaseen.wikipedia.org

  Forrest Chase entered a redevelopment period that continued through 2019, marking a major renewal of the established central Perth shopping complex.

• 1986

  Current shopping complex established

  [1]Forrest Chaseen.wikipedia.org

  The present Forrest Chase shopping complex dates from 1986 and replaced the earlier Perth Boans department-store presence on the site.

A centrally located Perth shopping destination combining department-store, supermarket and specialty retail within the Forrest Place precinct.

• Department store

  Myer

  Myer is the principal anchor and largest tenant identified at Forrest Chase. Its department-store format provides a broad general-retail offer and helps define the centre’s role within Perth’s central shopping district. The available reference material does not specify the full range of departments or the store’s current floor area.

• Supermarket

  Woolworths

  A Woolworths supermarket operates within Forrest Chase, adding grocery and everyday-needs shopping to the centre’s department-store and specialty-retail offer. Its presence broadens the complex’s practical use beyond discretionary shopping. Specific opening details and store characteristics are not established by the supplied sources.

• Shopping-centre retail

  Specialty retail and centre services

  Forrest Chase also contains other shops and shopping-centre services serving visitors in the Perth city centre. The supplied reference material does not provide a complete tenant directory or a reliable historical list of individual specialty retailers.

• 2017

  Redevelopment of Forrest ChaseStrategy

  Background

  The established shopping complex required renewal after operating since 1986, while remaining part of the central Perth retail network.

  Action taken

  Forrest Chase was redeveloped over the period from 2017 to 2019.

  Aftermath

  The redevelopment modernised the centre and preserved its role as a central Perth shopping destination. The supplied sources do not provide project costs, detailed works or quantified commercial results.

  Source

1. 1Forrest Chaseen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Forrest Chase official websiteforrestchase.com.au