In a former Bunnings warehouse in Brisbane's Rocklea — itself a casualty of flood and abandonment — a new kind of retail force has taken root. Panda Mart, a South African discount chain now spanning over a hundred stores across a dozen countries, opened its third Australian location last week to scenes that revealed something restless in the consumer psyche: a hunger for the tangible version of what screens have long promised. The chaos that followed — gridlocked car parks, stripped shelves, hour-long queues — was less an anomaly than a mirror held up to the quiet dissatisfactions of modern sh
Panda Mart's Brisbane opening sparks shopping frenzy, challenging retail giants
No direct casualties reported, though safety concerns noted including parking hazards, crowded aisles, and risk of collisions involving children and vehicles.
Empty shelves meant the model works. People will come back.
Mark
What made this opening different from any other retail launch you've seen?
Mimi
The sheer desperation. This wasn't curiosity—people were hunting. They knew exactly what they wanted because they'd seen it online, and suddenly it was here, in their hands, at a price that made sense.
Mark
The comparison to Temu and AliExpress kept coming up. Why does that matter?
Mimi
Because it collapses the gap between wanting something and having it. You don't wait two weeks for shipping. You don't wonder if it'll actually arrive. You see it, touch it, decide in seconds.
Mark
But the shelves were empty. Wasn't that a failure?
Mimi
No—it was proof of concept. Empty shelves mean the model works. It means people will come back, and they'll tell others to come back.
Mark
The safety concerns—children, parking chaos, people kicking items around. Doesn't that worry you?
Mimi
It should worry someone. But the customers don't seem worried. They're already asking for more stores. That's the real story.
Mark
So this is sustainable? This level of chaos?
Mimi
That's the question, isn't it. Right now, the novelty is doing the work. But once the novelty fades, you need the prices to hold up. And you need the supply chain to keep pace.
Mark
What happens when the next Panda Mart opens?
Mimi
The same thing. And the one after that. Until either the supply dries up or the market gets saturated. But based on what I saw, that's still a long way off.
The Pulse
- What began as a soft launch preview collapsed almost immediately into something resembling retail warfare, with traffic management firms deployed and shoppers abandoning their cars on surrounding streets just to get through the doors.
- Inside, trolleys became territorial weapons, children wove between wheels, and items bled from shelves onto floors — the store's industrial lighting illuminating a scene of controlled collapse that persisted four days after opening.
- The appeal was visceral and specific: Panda Mart had physically materialised the late-night Temu scroll — titanium cups for $1.50, hiking sets for $12, four-person tents for $199 — giving shoppers the rare satisfaction of holding the bargain before buying it.
- Kmart, Bunnings, and Ikea found their product categories emptied from the shelves by midday, with seasoned shoppers learning quickly to check the floor and the undersides of displays for what the frenzy had displaced.
- Far from being deterred by the chaos, customers are already lobbying online for Panda Mart locations in Rockhampton, Geelong, and Sale — with one shopper having pre-scouted a vacant Bunnings site as the ideal next store.
In a former Bunnings warehouse in Brisbane's Rocklea — itself a casualty of flood and abandonment — a new kind of retail force has taken root. Panda Mart, a South African discount chain now spanning over a hundred stores across a dozen countries, opened its third Australian location last week to scenes that revealed something restless in the consumer psyche: a hunger for the tangible version of what screens have long promised. The chaos that followed — gridlocked car parks, stripped shelves, hour-long queues — was less an anomaly than a mirror held up to the quiet dissatisfactions of modern shopping, and a signal that the established giants of Australian retail may no longer hold the field alone.
The old Bunnings warehouse in Brisbane's Rocklea had been sitting empty since flood damage drove its former tenant out. Last Friday, it became the site of something altogether different: the third Australian opening of Panda Mart, a South African discount chain with more than a hundred stores across a dozen countries, and the response was immediate and overwhelming. What had been planned as a quiet preview launch deteriorated within hours into shopping frenzy, and four days later, the chaos had not subsided.
Visiting on Thursday evening, the scene inside was one of controlled collapse. Traffic management firms worked the car park to prevent confrontations between frustrated drivers. Shoppers abandoned their cars on nearby streets rather than wait. Inside, under the old Bunnings industrial lighting, trolleys clogged the aisles and served as territorial markers. Items fell to the floor and were kicked aside. Children darted between carts. Checkout lines snaked the full length of the store, and staff worked to restock shelves even as closing time approached.
The draw became clear once you moved through the aisles. Panda Mart had taken the items that populate Temu and AliExpress — the things people browse on phones late at night — and placed them on physical shelves at prices that made the online versions seem almost expensive. A four-person NatureHike tent for $199. Titanium drinking cups at $1.50. Hiking pot sets for $12. The ability to hold these items, to dismiss them in person as unsuitable or confirm them as exactly right, was apparently worth the suburban chaos surrounding you. Tradies in the tools section offered blunt verdicts on the cheaper attachments. Many shelves sat stripped bare — the Ikea cushions, the Bunnings toolkits, the Kmart fitness gear all gone, findable only by checking the floor or the undersides of displays.
Despite the safety concerns — overloaded car parks, crowded aisles, exhausted children navigating trolley traffic — demand showed no sign of cooling. Shoppers were already posting online, urging the retailer to open in Rockhampton, Geelong, and beyond. One had even scouted a vacant Bunnings site in Sale, Victoria, as a ready-made location. The opening had delivered an unmistakable message: Kmart, Bunnings, and Ikea are no longer the only players in the Australian discount retail game, and shoppers are willing to endure considerable disorder to make that point.
The warehouse in Brisbane's Rocklea had sat empty after Bunnings abandoned it following flood damage. By Friday of last week, it was chaos. Panda Mart—a South African discount chain that has grown to over 100 stores across a dozen countries since 2010—had opened its third Australian location, and the response was immediate and overwhelming. What was meant to be a soft launch preview deteriorated into something closer to shopping warfare, with the frenzy showing no signs of slowing even four days later.
Walking through the store in the hours before closing on Thursday evening, the scene was one of controlled collapse. Families hunted for parking spots while traffic management firms worked the lot to prevent confrontations. Some shoppers risked parking fines on surrounding streets rather than wait. Inside, the old Bunnings industrial lighting illuminated an obstacle course of fevered crowds. Shoppers used trolleys as territorial markers, clogging aisles. Items fell to the floor and were kicked aside by feet and wheels alike. Children darted between carts. At checkout, lines snaked the length of the store and down its side, despite an army of staff struggling to restock shelves even at 7 p.m.
The draw was unmistakable once you moved through the aisles. Panda Mart had taken the items that populate Temu and AliExpress—the things people browse on screens late at night—and placed them on physical shelves at prices that made the online versions seem quaint. A four-person tent by NatureHike cost $199. Titanium drinking cups were $1.50. Hiking pot sets ran $12. Hip packs, sleeping bag liners, backpacks in unfamiliar brand names. The satisfaction of holding these items in hand rather than staring at them on a phone screen, of being able to dismiss many as unsuitable in person, was apparently worth the suburban chaos that unfolded around you.
Tradies in the tools section offered blunt assessments. "No, it's not—unfortunately," one said, setting down a $10 attachment. "Nah! Pity," said another, sidestepping cardboard boxes that littered the aisle. Despite the crowds and the staffing effort, many shelves sat empty—the Ikea cushions and foot stools, the Bunnings toolkits and toolbags, the Kmart fitness belts and children's toys all gone. The trick, as one learned quickly, was to check the floor, the bottom of displays, across aisles where items had been dropped and kicked in the frenzy.
The practical advice for anyone considering a visit was straightforward: wear comfortable shoes, bring a crossbody bag, and park away from the main areas to avoid the overloaded trolleys and exhausted children negotiating the lot. The $199 esky on a stand with a built-in bottle opener might seem like a quick grab, but checkout would still consume an hour of your evening.
Yet despite the chaos, the safety concerns, and the retail warfare playing out in real time, demand remained insatiable. Customers were already asking for locations in their own cities. "Can you put one up at Rockhampton please, ASAP!" one shopper posted online. Another urged the retailer to "come to Geelong so we can shop." A third had even scouted real estate—an empty old Bunnings store in Sale, Victoria, that would make a perfect Panda Mart. The opening had sent a clear signal: Kmart, Bunnings, and Ikea were no longer the only players in the discount retail game, and Australians were willing to endure considerable chaos to prove it.
Notable Quotes
No, it's not—unfortunately. Nah! Pity.— Tradies assessing tools in the store
Can you put one up at Rockhampton please, ASAP!— Customer requesting additional locations
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