The Queen Street Mall, regarded as the beating heart of Brisbane’s CBD, has seen its vibrancy diminish in recent years. It now grapples with one of the highest retail vacancy rates in Australia, second only to Perth.
This downturn has been exacerbated by changes from Brisbane City Council, including the removal of popular retail pods as well as Myer’s shock exit which has significantly transformed the mall’s atmosphere and energy.
What were once bustling hubs of social and commercial activity within the mall itself have been replaced by empty concrete slabs, under-utilised spaces that seldom feature the promised pop-up activations. Today, the mall’s vacancy rate is a stark symbol of what happens when functional, communal spaces are replaced by a vision that lacks community appeal and activation.
While the Queen Street Mall still remains as Brisbane’s popular shopping strip, it was once far more vibrant and energetic than it is today. With its creativity waning, the mall risks becoming boring and stagnant—and we can certainly do better.
The Impact of Retail Pod Removals on Queen Street Mall by Brisbane City Council
Queen Street Mall’s retail pods were more than just food and drink vendors; they were social anchors for Brisbane’s residents and visitors. These pods provided essential amenities that contributed to the mall’s lively atmosphere, offering a place for people to meet, eat, and unwind.
They supported a diverse range of needs and tastes, from the Pig ‘N’ Whistle pub at the mall’s lower end, which became a popular spot for casual drinks and impromptu sporting matches, to the well known Rankins kiosk in the centre, a famous spot for late-night snacks and mingling.
Timeline of Key Pod Closures and Queen Street Mall’s Decline in Energy
Cafe East
- Pre-2014: Cafe East, a popular Mantle Group-owned Asian fusion cafe, operated late into the night. Located where Jimmy’s On The Mall now sits, it was a go-to dining spot.
- 2014: Plans emerged to consolidate Cafe East with the original Jimmy’s, a nearby bar and restaurant. Later that year, Cafe East closed, and Jimmy’s was relocated to a new two-storey pod on the Cafe East site, marking a shift in the mall’s vibrant, late-night offerings.
Jimmy’s Pod Demolition (2014)
- The original Jimmy’s pod was demolished after the relocation, leaving an open space that drew fewer late-night visitors, marking one of the mall’s first major landscape changes.
Rankins News agency Kiosk
- 2018: Council’s closure of the Rankins Newsagency kiosk, a convenient late-night stop and popular meeting spot, disappointed many locals. After its closure, the space was later replaced with a small seating area and fountain, which has become a favourite spot for bathing ibises, reducing its role as a social hub in the mall.
Pig ‘N’ Whistle
- 2023: In an unexpected move, council closed the Pig ‘N’ Whistle pub, a well-loved spot that animated the lower end of Queen Street Mall at night. The pod was removed and replaced with a bare concrete slab, lacking the vibrancy and purpose the pub once provided.
Milano Italian Restaurant
- 2023: Around the same time, council shut down Milano Italian Restaurant, a late-night dining venue at the top of the mall. Milano’s closure left behind an unshaded concrete area that is rarely used, aside from occasional food trucks on market days. Without Milano, this part of the mall has lost a key source of evening activity.
In September 2023, Deputy Mayor Krista Adams told Seven News, “The closure will mean new and exciting vendors and experiences in the mall regularly, such as a pop-up gin bar one week, a new tasting brewery the next or a fabulous array of food trucks,” Deputy Mayor Krista Adams said.
But that vision has been far from realised. The council’s hasty decision to remove the pods without community consultation, intended to modernise Queen Street Mall with flexible pop-up spaces. In reality, this approach has proven disappointing. Without consistent activation and management, these pop-up spaces sit idle, turning into empty, underused stretches of concrete that lack the energy and foot traffic the mall once enjoyed. With no regular programming, these vacant slabs now stand as stark reminders of the vibrancy the Queen Street Mall has lost.
For much of the year, they remain barren and unappealing, particularly on weekends and evenings times when the mall needs more activity after shops close. Instead, visitors are met with an unattractive void, closed shops and with fewer permanent amenities, there’s little reason for people to linger, leaving the mall sparse and uninviting. There was no care or consultation, council just ripped them out. Permanent is better in the case of Queen St Mall.
High Vacancy Rates: How Queen Street Mall Stacks Up Nationally
Current data reflects a concerning reality for Queen Street Mall. Vacancy rates across Australia’s retail centres are high, driven by challenges in the retail industry and changing consumer habits, yet Brisbane’s mall vacancy rates stand out. At present, Queen Street Mall is second only to Perth in its retail vacancies, with the recent departure of Myer from the city centre. Brisbane is now the only major capital city in Australia that doesn’t have a Myer department store in its city centre.
ISPT, which has been slow to advance its planned redevelopment of the Regent commercial tower 2.0, has also left the Wintergarden vacant for well over a year. Despite ongoing rumours of a redevelopment of the Hilton Hotel, no formal application has yet been submitted to council with virtually the entire shopping centre empty.
A 2024 report by the Australian Retailers Association noted that the vacancy rate for Queen Street Mall had surged to around 15%, with previously prime retail spots sitting empty for months on end.
The removal of well-loved retail and social hubs like the Pig ‘N’ Whistle and Rankins isn’t the only possible factor to contribute to the high retail vacancy but it has had an impact of stripping out the vibrancy and energy that the mall use to have, particularly at night.
When the shops closed, people still had a few places that were open. Now all that remains is the two story retail pod Jimmy’s on the mall, which, unsurprisingly is always packed. The same can’t be said to the bottom and the top of the mall in particular which is desolate and quiet after shops close at 5pm everyday except Friday.
A pedestrian mall at the heart of Queensland’s capital should embody the vibrancy and energy of a bustling city centre, reflecting the dynamic nature of a metropolis with millions of residents—not the subdued atmosphere of a small town.
Lessons from Overseas: How Global Retail Hubs Thrive
Queen Street Mall’s vacancy dilemma echoes similar challenges faced by retail centres worldwide, particularly as city centres struggle to adapt to the evolving needs of urban consumers. In cities like New York, London, and Tokyo, public spaces have been reimagined to create unique experiences that blend retail with community and culture.
For instance, New York’s Times Square, which previously faced its own vacancy and traffic issues, introduced pedestrian-friendly zones with permanent seating, pop-up vendors, and iconic gathering spaces like the red stairs. These installations, simple yet effective, have turned Times Square into a hub for tourists and locals alike, providing ample opportunity for people-watching, casual dining, and resting spots. By offering a mix of short-term vendors and long-term attractions, Times Square has managed to retain its status as a global landmark while catering to the needs of today’s visitors.
Similarly, Tokyo’s Shibuya district, another high-traffic retail area, has incorporated functional community spaces alongside its shops, adding cafés, rooftop terraces, and observation points. These additions encourage longer visits and provide visitors with versatile options for dining, resting, and exploring the surrounding area. In London, Covent Garden has successfully revitalised its public areas by integrating outdoor dining pods, live music areas, and social seating zones, blending permanent retail with engaging, accessible spaces.
These global examples show the value of maintaining diverse, people-focused amenities, a principle Brisbane City Council should consider. They need to be injecting things into the mall not taking them away. There are no fresh ideas anymore and it is beginning to show.
Reimagining Queen Street Mall: Solutions to Restore Its Lost Energy
To address Queen Street Mall’s vacancy crisis and re-engage Brisbane’s community, a bold reimagining of its spaces could transform the shopping precinct into dynamic, experience-driven destinations. With consumer preferences shifting towards experiential dining, entertainment, and immersive retail, the mall must evolve to meet these expectations. Theming, fit-outs, and the overall atmosphere are now pivotal to creating a sense of place that resonates with visitors. Below are some strategies to revitalise the mall and make it a hub of activity once more.
Reintroduce Permanent Pods: Brisbane residents crave engaging experiences and visual appeal. Incorporating better architectural designs, art installations, and spaces for unique retail, food, and drink concepts could create a dynamic, ever-evolving precinct. Creativity should drive this initiative, ensuring the pods offer more than just products—they should deliver memorable experiences.
Curate the Retail Mix: Adopting a model like South Bank Corporation’s, the mall could benefit from tighter control over its retail offerings. Ground-floor spaces should prioritise engaging and experiential tenants, actively discouraging traditional 9-5pm operating banks and telcos from occupying key frontages of the mall. Additionally, encouraging late-night trading would infuse the mall with after-hours energy and attract a broader demographic.
Develop Unique Retail Concepts: Council and private sector collaboration could unlock innovative ideas for the mall. Leasing out spaces to operators who can deliver unexpected, out-of-the-box retail and entertainment offerings would set the precinct apart. Potential concepts could include:
1. Themed Active Spaces: A Jacaranda-Inspired Cafe/Bar
Embracing Brisbane’s iconic jacaranda season, the Jacaranda Café could be a floral-themed coffee spot with purple accents, jacaranda-inspired decor, and open-air seating. Serving light meals, local desserts, and quality coffee, the Jacaranda Café would offer a peaceful retreat in the heart of the city, adding a visually striking and Instagram-friendly spot that appeals to both tourists and locals.
2. Rankins with a Twist: A News Broadcast Pod
Bringing back the iconic Rankins kiosk could revitalise the mall with a new twist. This Rankins 2.0 could feature a small broadcast studio above, streaming live news, weather updates, and major Brisbane events, especially in the lead up to Brisbane 2032. The ground level could retain Rankins’ style late-night news agency but the addition of a modern broadcast hub would provide a uniquely interactive experience, drawing in passersby and creating a sense of connection with Brisbane’s pulse.
3. Stairs for People Watching
Installing a tiered seating area in Queen Street Mall could transform the vacant space into a social hub for people-watching, resting, and gathering. Located centrally, these stairs would invite visitors to sit and soak up the mall’s activity, offering a simple yet effective way to encourage community engagement and revitalise the space.
Additionally, the seating area could serve as a prime location for viewing Brisbane 2032 Olympic events, bringing the community together to celebrate and share in the excitement. The stairs would become a go-to meeting point and landmark, naturally increasing foot traffic around the central mall area.
4. Another Jimmy’s / 24-Hour Destination Restaurant and Bar
Queen Street Mall needs a 24-hour venue that embraces Brisbane’s unique culinary culture and character. This restaurant and bar would serve dishes inspired by local produce and Queensland’s food culture, offering a lively gathering point for night owls, tourists, and locals alike.
By operating around the clock, it would help maintain the mall’s energy and invite more visitors during off-peak hours, reinforcing Queen Street Mall as a destination that’s active and welcoming at any time of day.
5. A New Tourist Information Centre
The concept for the Brisbane Tourist Information Hub in Queen Street Mall envisions a multi-level structure that showcases the city’s past and future. Designed with modern architecture infused with elements of Australian Indigenous culture, the hub would serve as a focal point in the city’s retail precinct. It would aim to provide visitors with essential information about Brisbane and the upcoming 2032 Olympic Games, establishing itself as a key landmark in the area. However, it might be more practical to house the centre in an existing building fronting Queen Street Mall, such as 130 Queen Street or within a future Wintergarden/Uptown redevelopment.
Moving Forward: Restoring Queen Street Mall as Brisbane’s Central Hub
The decision to remove the pods by council has contributed to Queen Street Mall’s recent lack of energy and vibrancy and a situation that calls for more than just short-term fixes. By reintroducing versatile 24-hour focused spaces like those suggested above, the mall could once again become a vibrant destination that blends retail with a sense of community and culture. Rather than vacant concrete slabs that have replaced active hubs that were once there, the Queen Street Mall could transform into a thriving space where people come together, engage with local businesses, and enjoy the diverse experiences that make Brisbane unique.
Insights from leading global retail hubs offer a valuable roadmap for revitalising Queen Street Mall, highlighting the importance of creating experience-driven spaces and themed areas. These enhancements could reinstate the vibrancy that once defined the mall, positioning it as the true heart of Brisbane’s retail and cultural landscape.
Loading ...
The mall needs to encourage retailers and experiences not available at the suburban malls to encourage more visits.
Encourage the owners to proceed asap with redevelopment of their centres or face fines. Expand the cinema complex in Uptown. Look at centres like Funan Centre in Singapore that has walking and cycle tracks through the centre plus an amphitheatre of steps for lounging eating browsing the internet etc.
Brisbane CBD needs to become.a destination for unique experiences
BCC need to ban scooters in the city centre. It’s like trash left all over the place. You use the walk way and lights for safe walking and such. Now you get taken out by a speeding scooters or trip over the dam things as their being left in areas that hard for disabled people to navigate.
As a Tourist turned resident of 21 years Brisbane is a Letdown in innovation and they do it repeatedly and on purpose. It’s a bunch of Old Cranky businessmen at BCC. The biggest Missed opportunity is the absence of Stairways/Seating/Shading to view the Beautifully ornate Facades that you miss from the Ground level. There’s nowhere to sit! I’ve seen Alleyways turn into Astroturf outdoor lounge/social areas in other cities. Yes bring back Pod/Double decker retailers but why not add Gardens to cool it down too.
Just a boring and hot concrete slab, just like King George Square and Chinatown. There’s no character and these spaces are not practical or functional for the community to gather and enjoy. They were so much better in the 80’s and 90’s. Such a shame and very embarrassing – especially if nothing changes for the 2032 Olympic Games.
Visiting a couple of weeks ago – found the Mall to be a tragic site … no heart – zero atmosphere – compared to the past – would leave Councilors scrambling with embarrassment – how could such a move be implemented without an already approved replacement plan in place & ready to go – added to the fact that it is impossible for new unacquainted visitors to find the correct location from which to catch a bus. Wont be back.
I agree with the fact that removing the cafe, pub and restaurant pods from queen street has killed the vibe and the feel of it. what they should have done is actually tried to create gateways from queen street mall into hawker style food courts/malls which is what the likes of Broadway and the old wintergarden did well in the past. Wintergarden’s refurbishment is one of the worst I can think of, they got greedy and thought that they should turn QSM into Pitt Street Mall and failed miserably, it was the wrong direction to go in. they’ve killed off Chinatown and McWirthers it’s a real shame with such poor decision making in key city hotspots (at least they were once upon a time)
I found the suggestions exciting and inspiring but the ideas are too easy to draw and then not make it happen. The article is a sound analysis of the issues for Mall use, but who has the will, vision and determination to deliver for the people of Brisbane and its visitors. I do hope that this article stirs the motivation to make the changes and developments necessary to create a vibrant day and night life in the Mall.
KG Square is like a slate quarry. QS Mall is dead. We need fountains, cafes, restaurants, entertainment, a state of the art toilet facility, business pods, occasional markets, sporadic dancing like in Waikiki and the BCC to actually listen and act on what it’s citizens want
I was stunned when the two restaurants were shut down almost overnight. The massive deadspots were disgusting and the drop in the life of the Brisbane CBD was palpable. Who in their bureaucratic mind took that decision? The council of Brisbane can wipe out energy in Brisbane CBD but tolerate “no go” zones. I think the current bureaucracy under Mayor Adrian Schrinner has a lot to answer for.
A lot of the ideas in the article are good and would go a long way to restoring invigoration to our city. Can we hope that the current civic management will get off their hands and start making it happen?
Congratulations to Brisbane Development. You’ve gone beyond ‘just reporting’ to adding creative thought to a much needed issue to be fixed for the health of Brisbane. A number of years ago when I was traveling to Adelaide for business (weekly), I took my wife on the 1st few trips to giver her a change of pace. On about the 3rd or 4th trip, I asked her if she wanted to head over to Adelaide for my next trip and she said, “no thanks”. Why I asked? Nothing left to do was her response.
Brisbane needs an injection fast, or we will face the fate of Adelaide. A lovely city but aside from the annual events, boring on weekends.
Again, thanks for driving some creative thought in this BD!
bro the concept photos are ai
My business left the mall back in 2013 due the the high rents and expensive parking costs for patrons. being a retailer there for 10years , there’s many things politicians can not see. The decisions they make are from their desks, how many hours do they spend a day on the actual street . Mall lacks toilets , affordable parking, sitting, and outdoor restaurants for people to meet up and talk.
Council does collect rent from the permanent food Pods , so why not admit failure in past policy and build them back again?
Without a vibrant atmosphere and choice to dinning after 5pm , how can Brisbane be ready for olympics. ?
Maybe for the decisions to rip out those restaurants it is not required for BCC to submit a DA and ask for neighbouring business input, or public consultation, like normal citizens.
those Ai generated photo design of retail structures are interesting . but might not be practical .
We are supposed to be a 24 hour city with the 2032 Olympics approaching. How is that happening? I like your ideas. Thank you.
Haven’t seen any buskers in the mall for ages . Does BBC still allow them there ?
Please stop using ai images
It is cringe and makes the article unrealistic
Ruining your credibility
you’re cringe
Create a subtropical garden experience. Seating and education areas on both contemporary and Traditional history. Cool down the mall and create a calming experience.
Redevelop the Myer Centre building into a hotel and apartment complex to revive the top end of the mall and link through to the casino and Southbank.
Discourage scooters on the mall and create divided pathway sections to reduce pedestrian chaos.
All you need to do is covered in your “Greening Brisbane” article, just do that, starting with Queen St. Mall and the “Albert St. green spine”. Add “European style” founains/water features at King George Square and the intersection of Albert and Queen st. Then continue greening EVERY street in the CBD. Forget about information booths and news centres – we all have that in our pockets. Commission some artists to add their works throughout the CBD and in a few years you will have a pleasant destination that people will like to go and linger in rather than “pass thru”. We should become the “Singapore of the South”. Build it and they will come – the dining, wining, cafes, retailers always go to where the people are; you will never have to worry about dinosaur businesses like Myer ever again. Consumers may even return to the CBD to shop because it becomes a better experience than the wastelands of Westfield. The BCC is already equiped to do this, they could start yesterday – however, me thinks that the old budgetary cuts will be rolled out again. That would be sad because I love this city.
You sit in the Queen St Mall for 30secs and some “street bum” is either wanting cash or, the “God Squad” are out to save your soul….in other words, they want some cash too! Kicking social deadbeats of all types out, would be a good start to rebuilding the Mall’s vibe and appeal! Then we can talk about SHOCKING “surfaces”, in both the Mall and KGS!!!!
Its the whole city. Parking is crazy expensive, Myers has gone, Retailers leaving Wintergarden empty. Old Myer Centre is old and run down. City hall square is hottt and looks totally trashy with rubbish and homeless people. This is what visitors face for the Olympic games and aren’t they in for a treat. Those retail pods were nothing but ugly tin sheds. Get creative and make something world class.
I am guessing the idea for closing them all down was to reduce the vacancy rate by decreasing the floor space.
Ideally the cafes and restaurants should be on along the opening of all the buildings up and down the mall. This should have been a bigger priority than activating the alley ways in the fit of Melbourne Envy.
Oh and if they do a broadcast hub, the council should partner with Twitch or Youtube rather than tie to something else dying a slow death
How about a new Jo Jo’s? Stefan, come back to Queen Street. Screw Pig & Whistle & Jimmy’s, they only attract the Coffee Club crowd. But perhaps that’s the sort of bland, uncultured type of venue that we want to express who we are as a city for the 2032 Olympics? We want to show the KARISMA of our city, do we not? Think upon it.