BORDER shoppers will go through a time warp with two major shopping centres reverting to old names.
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Centro Wodonga has been rebranded as Wodonga Plaza, while Centro Lavington has reverted to Lavington Square.
Some signs have been changed at the centres, though a few Centro signs are still in place.
Owner and manager Federation Centres is keen for the shopping centres to have a “local community face”.
It is also anticipated that Centro Albury will undergo a name change in the coming months, though it has not yet been decided whether it will take on the old name of Westend Plaza.
“That’s not in the group to be changed before the end of the year,” a Federation spokesman said.
“A second group will be done in the new year.”
The only reference to the Federation group on the signs is its ribbon logo, but the spokesman said that was deliberately less prominent than the centre names.
Wodonga Plaza manager Cherie Daly announced the changes yesterday.
“The naming and branding strategy for our centres has been designed to retain and give prominence to the strong links our centres have with their local community,” Ms Daly said.
“Our new brand signals more than just a name change — it represents the evolution of our business, what we will stand for as a centre and how we will be operate, guided by our ethos.”
Ms Daly said Federation Centres chose the ribbon because of the link to everything from decorations to gifts, awards and ceremonies and as “a symbol of celebration”.
“The name Federation Centres was chosen for the group because a federation respects the individuality of each part of the group — our centres — but is also strengthened by being part of the wider group,” she said.
The spokesman said 24 of the company’s 70 shopping centres throughout Australia would be rebranded by the end of the year.
Centro Lavington was known as Border Shoppingtown when it opened in 1979, built by developers RDC Properties and T&G Mutual Life Society on a former orchard of Paul Buchhorn.