After 12 weeks in lockdown, Auckland has downgraded its Covid-19 restrictions so that malls and retailers can reopen today, sparking lines outside some malls many hours before they were due to open, according to The New Zealand Herald.

As of Sunday, more than 90 percent of eligible people aged 12 and older across the Auckland region had received at least one dose of a vaccine, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at a press conferences on Monday. The government expects to hit its target of 90 percent fully vaccinated around Nov. 29, she added, allowing it to move to a new system in which vaccination certificates will be required to access many services in the city.

In the wake of retail re-opening, luxury brands are rushing into Auckland and on Thursday the city will see the opening of new luxury multibrand store, Faradays, part-owned by New Zealand rugby player, Dan Carter. The store, according to co-founder and chief executive, Edward von Dadelszen, brings brands such as Alaïa, Givenchy, Loewe and Christian Louboutin to the country for the first time.

“Pre-Covid, New Zealanders were spending $9 billion annually overseas, while locally, this market was largely ignored. It’s exciting to see the city’s recent transformation in response to this, with individual flagships finally opening here and now Faradays, with our unique and considered approach,” von Dadelszen said.

Luxury brands are certainly paying attention now, with openings from Saint Laurent, Burberry, Moncler, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Jimmy Choo, Michael Kors, Mulberry and more due before the end of the year, largely as part of the opening of the new high-end Westfield Mall in the district of Newmarket.

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