Like Bolwarra woman Lauren Carlson, franchisee of the Coffee Emporium, who called in the administrators last week.

“We had been struggling for quite a while,” she said. “And then when the food court opened it was the final straw. We lost 40 per cent of our business that week and it hasn’t picked up.

“We just weren’t seeing the foot traffic that we were hoping for. Sales halved but not the rent.”

The hardest part for her was the she had been at Green Hills for nearly three years, well before the razzamatazz of the expansion.

“When we started we were only the third coffee shop in the complex,” she explained. “Now there are probably 20 or so … it’s impossible to service. We were there through the whingeing, through the construction. We thought we had weathered the storm, so it’s really disappointing.”

Ms Carlson said they also have a second store in Stockland Jesmond – Indian Bazaar Restaurant –  that has also been closed. She estimated their financial loss at hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In a press release on Friday, Stockland confirmed the closure of the Coffee Emporium at Green Hills.

“The Coffee Emporium is committed to re-opening their Green Hills store under new management as soon as possible and we will update our customers once we have more information,” it read.

“A number of Stockland Green Hills retailers, including The Coffee Emporium, received rental abatements during the redevelopment. Stockland continually works with local retailers to maintain sustainable businesses within our centres.

“Following the $414 million redevelopment, foot traffic and centre sales have continued to grow with approximately 200,000 people entering Stockland Green Hills each week – a significant increase on predevelopment figures.”