After weeks of construction to get sleek marble staircases and refined wooden touches looking absolutely perfect, Faradays has revealed its opening date.
The new department store on Auckland’s Queen Street will welcome shoppers from 1pm on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
The three-level, 3,000sqm store significantly expands the options in the CBD and provides a sleek destination for daytime dining at the in-store restaurant, Lottie’s. The store’s opening comes as central city is feeling reinvigorated thanks to the long-awaited opening of the City Rail Link and new spots such as Radisson RED, Cassia restaurant and luxury arrival Cartier.
At Faradays, fashion lovers will be spoiled for choice with ranges from Chloé, Loewe, Kowtow, SKIMS, Viktoria & Woods, Posse and plenty more. The mix in store is more diverse than you might expect, encompassing “everything from stationery to runway looks,” as Faradays Creative Director and co-founder Constance von Dadelszen told us.
She wants the new multi-level space to be a place where you can linger and enjoy, with plenty of unique elements that make shopping in person worth the trip.
“You might come in for a dress and leave having discovered a book, a fragrance, a piece of art, or simply having stayed for lunch,” says von Dadelszen.
More than 220 brands will be represented in the expansive space, including plenty that have never previously been available to shop in person in New Zealand.
“Every brand that’s part of the world of Faradays earned its place,” confirms von Dadelszen. “In womenswear, that’s Jacquemus, Pucci, St Agni, Repetto and Wolford, alongside the full SKIMS collection and more; in menswear, AMI Paris, Maison Margiela, Barbour; in childrenswear, Nature Baby, Bonpoint, Tartine et Chocolat.”
She says the same instinct has been carried through beauty, jewellery, accessories, home and technology with a carefully curated approach.
At Faradays, customers will enter at street level to be greeted by a beauty floor with the likes of La Mer and La Prairie extending into a parfumerie, as well as men’s and womenswear boutique spaces with brands from Aotearoa and abroad. A farmacia with items like hair accessories, gut health supplements and bodycare is designed as a place of discovery — somewhere you browse and pick up little treasures.
Head down to the basement for contemporary fashion, denim and athleisure, or head up the marble-lined staircase to the first floor, where international luxury fashion sits alongside the new Lottie’s restaurant, helmed by top hospitality names Josh and Helen Emett.
The 70-seat restaurant aims to carry on the grand tradition of department-store dining rooms. Its open and airy space on the street-facing side of level one is designed to take guests from a morning breakfast meeting through to long lunches, afternoon drinks and light supper.
You’ll be able to indulge in oysters, caviar and champagne, or fill up with Lottie’s take on the classic Ploughman’s, with roast beef, hot English mustard, pickled onion, piccalilli, cheddar, devilled egg and breakfast radish.
The kitchen is led by Head Chef Zach Meads, who has worked alongside Josh and the Emett Group team at Onslow for the past four and a half years.
“Lottie’s is about making the everyday feel a little more special,” says Josh Emett. “Once again, we’ve focused on cooking the kind of food I love to eat myself. It’s generous, uncomplicated and full of flavour. Ultimately, we want to create dishes that people crave and come back for, time and time again.”
Faradays will be open from 10am-6pm during the week, with a slightly later close of 7pm on Thursdays. At the weekends its hours will be 10:30am-5pm.
Lottie’s will keep the same hours, though its first day of operation will be October 2. Lottie’s Restaurant bookings will open on October 14.
