Haben

The Strategy Behind The Basketball Stadium For Forest Hill Chase

Challenge

As retail centres evolve beyond traditional shopping experiences, Haben sought innovative ways to enhance engagement and drive foot traffic at Forest Hill Chase Shopping Centre.

With a vision to transform the centre into a multi-purpose community hub, the team explored opportunities to integrate sports, entertainment, and lifestyle elements.

To validate the feasibility of a three-court basketball stadium within the centre, Haben needed precise insights into visitor demographics, movement patterns, and community demand. This data would be critical in justifying the investment, securing stakeholder buy-in, and optimising the facility’s placement within the centre.

Solution

Using Pathzz’s AI-powered location intelligence, Haben gained data-driven insights into:

• Visitor & Catchment Demographics – Identifying key customer segments, including families and fitness-conscious consumers, to understand demand for a sports facility.
• Visitation Patterns – Analysing movement trends in the surrounding precinct to understand lifestyle, movement patterns and demand for sporting facilities.
• Cross-Visitation Behaviour – Measuring how existing visitors engage with different retail, dining, and entertainment offerings, helping forecast potential synergies between the basketball stadium and other existing tenants.
• Competitive Landscape – Understanding gaps in the local sports and fitness market to ensure the facility would address an unmet need within the region.

Result

With Pathzz’s data-driven insights, Haben was able to:

• Validate Demand & Secure Stakeholder Confidence – By quantifying the opportunity, Haben strengthened its proposal to Basketball Victoria, Nunawading Basketball, and local government stakeholders.
• Optimise Placement & Design – Foot traffic analytics helped determine the ideal location for the stadium, ensuring accessibility and maximising visitor engagement.
• Position Forest Hill Chase as a market leader – By integrating sports and recreation into the retail mix, Haben is redefining the role of shopping centres as multi-purpose community destinations.

With the Development Application (DA) now lodged, Forest Hill Chase is set to introduce Melbourne’s first in-centre basketball stadium, blending retail, sport, and entertainment to create a truly unique experience.

By leveraging Pathzz, Haben has reinforced its strategic vision, ensuring that its investments are backed by real-world data and aligned with evolving consumer needs.