Spacefor and the Power of Place

 When Max Mamaev founded the Spacefor concept in 2023, he was betting on a specific idea: that place matters. More precisely, the right environment can change how brands, customers, and cities connect. That place was Britomart, and more broadly, Auckland’s city centre.

Max Mamaev, Founder of Spacefor. Supplied.

Spacefor offers short-term, fully fitted and adaptable retail spaces for brands looking to establish a physical presence without the commitment of a long-term lease. What began as a single site has grown to three locations across Auckland's Britomart precinct. Each is available on flexible terms, giving businesses the opportunity to test ideas, meet customers face-to-face, and build visibility within one of the city's most premium retail destinations.

“I’m convinced there is nothing like Britomart, and I don’t mean just in Auckland,” Mamaev says. “It’s not just a development. It’s a carefully curated destination. The mix of retail, restaurants, The Hotel Britomart, and the office buildings all feed into one ecosystem.”

For Spacefor, that ecosystem offers more than visibility. “We’re able to give brands access to this destination and this community in a way that’s otherwise impossible to get,” he explains. “From day one, they’re on the same level as the premium brands already here. That gives our concept a lot of credibility.”

That credibility has translated into momentum. Each year, Spacefor brings between 25 and 40 brands into the precinct, from local favourites such as Fix & Fogg to global icons like Barbie. These short-term activations, pop-ups, and launches ensure that what visitors encounter is constantly refreshed.

Mamaev sees this steady flow of change as a way of helping to inject energy and economic benefit into the city centre. “Novelty and culture drive visitation,” he says. “When people know there’s always something new happening in Britomart, a new brand, a product launch, a unique activation, it gives them a reason to come back.” Importantly, the impact of each activation extends beyond its own walls.

Barbie activation at Spacefor. Supplied.

Because every residency is short-term by nature, each brand brings its own audience with it,” Mamaev says. “Their customers, their followers, people who might not otherwise have come into the precinct.”

 Spacefor has tracked that effect. “We’ve recorded more than 95,000 visits across our spaces,” he notes. “And when someone makes the effort to come in, you can almost guarantee they’ll visit other tenants in the precinct, grab a coffee, have lunch, walk through the shops.”

Mamaev describes the model in cultural rather than purely commercial terms. “I think of Spacefor as a bit like running an art gallery, but for brand experiences,” he says. “It’s a continuous programme that keeps the precinct feeling alive and current.” In this sense, Spacefor functions as both tenant and curator, contributing to the wider rhythm of city centre life.

 For brands themselves, the benefits go beyond exposure. In an era shaped by e-commerce, Spacefor offers a way to engage physically without taking on disproportionate risk. “E-commerce has changed the game,” Mamaev says. “A lot of brands don’t even consider physical retail part of their future. And for those that do, the risks are real. Signing a long-term lease and running a store is a huge commitment, especially when you’re still growing.”

Customers at a Spacefor pop-up. Supplied.

Spacefor positions itself as an entry point. “What we offer is a de-risked first step,” Mamaev says. “Or, for some brands, a sustainable alternative altogether. Regular pop-ups that keep them connected to customers without heavy overheads.”

 In some cases, that stepping stone leads to permanence. Alumni such as Porter James and Fankery have gone on to open permanent stores nearby. “That’s exciting to see,” Mamaev says.

Both paths matter for the city centre,” he adds. “Together they create a constantly evolving character that attracts people, spending, and long-term confidence.” This, he believes, gives Britomart a clear point of difference from traditional malls.

Underlying Spacefor’s success is a broader shift in how people want to shop. “It goes both ways,” Mamaev says. “Brands want in-person interaction, and so do customers. Online offers convenience, but physical retail offers substance.”

 Rather than competing, digital and physical channels now reinforce one another. “It’s not a competition, it’s a loop,” he explains. “One side is your online world. The other is physical, where people can discover something, touch it, and talk to the person behind it. Customers move naturally between the two. They might browse online, then come in to try it. Or they discover a brand in person and follow them online for months before buying anything.”

Mamaev says that “the brands that perform best in our spaces understand this. They show up, they talk to people, they treat the space as a stage rather than a shop. It shouldn't just be about sales, it's an experience.” “What we do is make sure the environment supports that" Mamaev continues. “We’ve purposefully built the spaces in a way that makes it easy for a brand to adapt it to their brand, and make it all about them, with a unique character.”

Spacefor Tyler St. Supplied.

Looking ahead, Mamaev sees flexible retail as an increasingly important tool for city centres. “Flexible retail can take many forms,” he says. “What we do is just one expression of it.” He also believes established retailers have an opportunity to rethink their role. “Stop treating your store as purely transactional. Make it a brand hub. Run events, build community, give people a reason to visit beyond buying something.”

For Spacefor itself, growth is both physical and strategic. The recent opening of its largest site, the Grand Pavilion, allows the platform to host a wider range of activations, including more international brands. At the same time, the focus remains local. “Within Auckland, it’s about deepening what we’re building in Britomart,” Mamaev says. “We want to be a meaningful part of how this precinct continues to evolve.”

 In that ambition lies Spacefor’s wider contribution: using flexibility, creativity, and place to help shape the future of Auckland’s city centre.