Elation as completion of Wagga's first supermarket at Estella Central shopping centre in the city's north draws nigh

The Foodworks store will be part of the $16 million Estella Central shopping centre, which has been under development since 2021.

The shopping centre, located on Rainbow Drive, had been expected to open in late 2022 but work is still under way, with an opening date now expected to fall around the mid-year mark.

This week Raine and Horne commercial real estate agent Dylan Wooden said the new supermarket was coming along nicely.

"We're seeing progress ramping up now and the supermarket is expected to be handed over to the tenant in May [once the concrete floor polished finish is complete]," Mr Wooden said.

The supermarket, which will be the first of the shops to open at the development, will feature a bottle shop and a sushi bar.

Mr Wooden said the 1800-square-metre, full-format supermarket would be similar in size to the Turvey Park Foodworks.

The interior is now starting to look like a supermarket, with cool rooms and upstairs offices coming together.

It's expected the supermarket will open up to two months after handover, once the interior has been fully fitted out.

Meanwhile, the construction of four speciality shops, a cafe and a Snap Fitness gym are also now well under way.

"The second storey of a new gym is now going up," Mr Wooden said.

"The other shops will [open] a month or two after the supermarket."

The precinct is starting to take shape in other ways too, with car park lights already installed and operational.

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However, Mr Wooden said construction of the shops will likely be completed before the car park sealing takes place.

"Once the heavy lifting has been done, cranes have been in and lifted walls and roofs up, then we can look at getting the rest of the car park done," Mr Wooden said.

In January, Wagga City Council approved a development application giving the green light for a 308-lot residential subdivision, which will deliver a major population explosion right next to the shopping centre.

The $19 million Estella Estate subdivision, located between Estella and Gobbagombalin, would connect the suburbs and make the Estella Central shopping centre a central point for residents in the northern suburbs.

Mr Wooden said extra land adjacent to the Foodworks has been set aside to allow for its potential expansion down the track.

Looking ahead, Mr Wooden hoped to make further announcements about the Estella Central shopping development in the coming weeks.

For residents like Crow Mow's Steve Ween, who frequently has to do jobs out at Estella, the establishment of a supermarket in the suburb means travelling times won't have to cut into their lunch breaks.

"Crow Mow is excited to see the highly anticipated opening of a supermarket and other shops in Estella," Mr Ween said.

"This will save time and reduce carbon emissions travelling into Central Wagga and back for lunch or morning break purchases, when we are working in Estella."

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