Saturday 26 May 2012

Latest Retail News – 26/5/2012

Latest Retail News – 26/5/2012
1.       IGA launches IGA Marketplace targeting young inner city dwellers with gourmet offering.
2.       Soft response in consumer sentiment likely to disappoint RBA following rate cut.
3.       Debit cards continue to outstrip credit cards as consumers reduce debt.
4.       Retravision Southern goes under while individual stores still able to trade.
5.       US retailer American Eagle dumps 22 kids concept stores after $24m loss.
6.       Myer predicts further fall in full year profit after quiet third quarter.
7.       Radio Rentals parent, Thorn Industries, report 26.4% profit growth.
8.       Melbourne Central introduces QR code interaction with customers.
9.       New accessory concept, Status, launches at Westfield and online with brands including Marc by Marc Jacobs, Lacoste, Guess, Diesel, Armani Exchange, DKNY and Michael Kors.
10.   Centro sells The Glen shopping centre to Perron Group while retaining management.

Friday 25 May 2012

Australian Made, Australian Grown for Traders



Traders selling Australian products will be interested in the following announcement from QVM management. Participation in the Australian Made, Australian Grown program involves a minimum annual fee of $300 but it costs nothing to attend the information session and this may just be the answer to attracting tourists looking for your Australian products.





"Get the Australian advantage
It’s no secret that operating in the current retail environment is difficult for many Australian businesses, including traders and stall holders at Australia’s markets.
While fierce competition, cheap imports and online shopping pose significant challenges, traders and stall holders that sell Australian made or grown products can gain a competitive advantage.
By leveraging country of origin labelling, traders and stall holders can actively promote goods as Australian and appeal to consumers’ preference for buying Australian-made.
One of the most effective ways to leverage country of origin labelling is to use the Australian Made, Australian Grown logo.
Research demonstrates that Australians have a clear preference for buying Australian Made and Grown products. This can be a powerful marketing tool and should be used as one.
Trusted, wanted and effective
·         94% of shoppers recognise the Australian Made, Australian Grown logo
·         85% of shoppers trust the logo over any other country of origin branding such as flags, maps and pictures of animals
·         65% of shoppers consciously buy Australian Made or Australian Grown whenever possible or often?
The famous green-and-gold Australian Made, Australian Grown logo is the only certification trademark that labels a product as authentically made or grown in Australia.
Only traders that are registered with Australian Made, Australian Grown (AMAG) may use this logo. The AMAG logo must always be used with one of four descriptors; Australian Made, Australian Grown, Product of Australia or Australian Seafood.
“The number of businesses registering to carry the logo is clearly linked to an increased consumer interest in buying goods that support our economy, keeping jobs in Australia and meeting high safety standards,” AMAG Chief Executive, Ian Harrison, said.
Learn more about becoming a licensee at the Australian Made, Australian Grown Information Session for market traders and stall holders at the Electrolux Cooking School on Thursday, July 19th at . Refreshments provided.
Why attend?
·         Learn more about the AMAG logo
·         Hear about success stories from current licencees
·         Ask questions
·         Participate in the discussion around country of origin labelling
Register at events@australianmade.com.au or by calling 1800 350 520."

Where Did Retravision Go Wrong?

Electrical retailer, Retravision, have gone into receivership and the reasons expounded in smartcompany.com.au this week make interesting reading.
It is actually the buying group, not individual retailers, that have failed. Retravision is run as a co-operative which is thought to be one of the problems. Co-operatives are seen as a mix of consensus and independent thought which is not as focused as the franchise model. Franchises are more customer oriented than supplier oriented. This might explain why retailers like Forty Winks and Auto Barn have moved from co-operative to franchise models.
Another problem for Retravision was internet marketing. Their "no price - call the store" model just doesn't cut it with their competitors full price/stock level exposure. Add in little factors like extreme price deflation in electrical goods, and competition from rental companies, and you can see why Retravision has struggled. Tough times indeed.

Talks Continue on Lowering GST Threshold

You might think the discussion on lowering the $1000 GST tax threshold for goods ordered online was over but, not so, according to the Australian Retailers Association.
According to ARA, overseas retailers get an unfair advantage over Australian retailers because they do not have to charge GST for sales under $1000. The Productivity Commission examined the problem and found that it was simply too expensive to collect the tax on smaller sales. But, Australian retailers have not given up. Talks with the Government are continuing and they include examination of practices in other countries with the same problem. Watch this space.

Chapel St. Traders Call for Facelift

The Chapel St. Trader’s Association, representing more than 1500 traders is calling for a multi-million dollar spending program to rejuvenate the once iconic shopping strip.
Traders say that years of neglect are taking their toll and the glitz, glamour and cutting edge retail mix is now typified by empty stores, the influx of boring chain stores, graffiti, and poor facilities. Stonnington Council’s annual budget is due in the next month and will be closely watched by traders for corrective action.

City of Melbourne Survey

The Melbourne City Council is inviting individuals and businesses to complete a short online survey about public events run by the city. Our businesses in the top end of the QVM are linked very closely to events that attract crowds whether they be locals or tourists. If you would like to express your views on Melbourne's public events (positive or negative) please click on the following link - http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/getinvolved/Pages/EventsSurvey.aspx

An iPad3 is up for grabs.

Thursday 24 May 2012

Should This Trader Ditch His Website?

When I started my retailing business over 30 years ago I was lucky enough to have the assistance of an experienced retail mentor who steered me away from a classic mistake made by new business start-ups.
I had planned a combined retail/wholesale business and this man convinced me that I needed to focus on either wholesale OR retail because the two were slightly different and the differences would place strains on the whole operation. Basically he was telling me that to succeed I needed to do one thing really well. I have seen instances in the intervening years that tell me he was right.
Now I have to decide if I am making a similar mistake with trying to combine my market stall with an online presence. Retail gurus everywhere are telling us we need to have an online presence to meet the needs of the new consumer. But is a simple presence enough? There are some very professional online retailers out there. Myer and David Jones are spending $millions on their online catalogues which, if media reports are true, will offer over 30,000 items. I already have a website and customers will often say to me “Do you have a lot more stuff online”?  Customers expect a lot more online but, is that compatible with the size of my business?
If I was doing a full-on, online business I would pick a category and make sure I presented a comprehensive range of goods. I would probably locate myself in a regional area where cheap rents would sustain a large warehouse. I would be in close proximity to transport services, and I would put a lot of effort into warehousing/packing facilities that would sustain volume throughput. I would carefully control stock levels to avoid stockouts and I would pick products that are going to give me maximum markup and support the “free return if you don’t like it” philosophy that many of the big online operations are offering. In other words I would want to do my online operation really well to give it every chance against the competition.
I am very competitive as a bricks’n’mortar retailer. I offer a focussed range of goods that are competitive with online offerings. I give the customer a “look, touch and feel” experience that they cannot get online, I offer personal (and hopefully personable) service to each and every customer and I give them a choice of delivery options if they don’t wish to take their purchase with them. My business is set up to achieve those outcomes. Do I, and can I, offer the same level of excellence online? Is an online presence a natural extension of current retailing or is it a separate entity that is not really compatible with face to face retailing? The nagging question is – Would all those customers who say “I really love your stuff, but do you have a website that I can look at later?”, become immediate buyers if I said “I don’t have a website but I can do a good deal for you here and now.”?

24/05/2012 15:01:43 "Online is a good option ONLY if you can run the systems on an integrated basis. Both shopfronts must 'know' if a product is in or out of stock.
Secondly, if you sell things that the tourist/ stall visitor will want to re-purchase (goat's milk soap) the product and it cannot be readily found elsewhere. Then you have a ready-made market.
So the answer is, maybe not. :-)" Should This Trader Ditch His Website?                  

Monday 21 May 2012

Grouping Stalls – Final Word

Ed - Excuse me for re-posting this article but I think it helps to look at all the comments in one go. This is the final word, at least for now.

My post about grouping stalls gained a big reaction as expected. It is now appropriate to look a little deeper and hopefully find a way through some of the extreme views expressed in the original article and the comments that came from it.
We trade in a retail environment that jealously guards locations and even has a 5 stall separation rule (or is it 7 stalls?) so that competitors don’t feel too threatened. It is true that forcing traders together in a competitive environment could be inappropriate. We have enough trading pressures without adding more. It is also true that not every category would benefit from grouping. In shopping centres grouping is common in fashion clothing and to a lesser extent in shoes. Fashion stores in shopping centres have their own brand identification so, although grouped together, they have individuality. Putting stalls together with exactly the same stock would seem pointless (although I notice one of our $2-$5 jewellery traders has located his and his wife’s stall directly across from each other on Saturdays in K shed).
One of the comments to the original article talked about “everybody chucking their stalls back in the middle to be reallocated” which I assume was tongue in cheek and certainly wasn’t anticipated in the original proposal. Whole scale change would be pretty silly but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for grouping in certain circumstances and perhaps the best explanation comes with an example. Imagine a grouping of jewellery stalls – say one opal stall, one gold, one silver and one pearl. Add one of our excellent silk scarve stalls to the mix and perhaps another fashion accessory and you have a dynamic mix of personal accessories  that could become an attractive destination for customers.
I think this sort of proposalshould be in the mix at the QVM in 2012 and, as always, welcome comment.

COMMENTS:
29/04/2012 20:04:08 "It would be good to group like stalls and promote the idea that customers would have a clear idea of where to go to get a specific item.  If you want a good Chinese meal you go to China Town (anywhere in the world).  If you wany a good Italian meal you go to Lygon St.  Competition is good - it forces us all to perform.
There are comments posted from traders against grouping, stating that visitors like to stroll around the whole market and that grouping would diminish this attraction.  I am a trader and want customers that are going to spend money, not visitors that use me as a tourist attraction.
Terry Lawn (Trading as Airllywood)" Grouping Stalls 
30/04/2012 07:41:07 They say the best place to position yourself in retail is as close as possible to you're competititor.  What happens to those that don't have competitors? The reality us that the likelihood of stallholders wanting to move from their high profile position will next to zero. And in the long term this is still not a solution, firstly we need to cut out the repetitive stall as one does not want to go to the clothing section where they are all selling the sane stuff, same goes for souvenirs, there is pretty much no difference between all those souvenir shops except one that sells good quality products. This concept would work if there was quality and variety in the stall holders at the market.                              
30/04/2012 09:45:42 As a very large number of purchases are done on an "impulse" buy, if the customers do not get a chance to stroll around, then there is the chance that unless the customers have come looking for your exact product, then you could see a drop in sales. Do you know how many of your sales are impulse VS planned purchases?
30/04/2012 09:57:12 "One problem l see with grouping stalls, is losing those impulse buys.
Potential customers could now choose to avoid aisles because they don't want anything in that aisle.
How many of us don't do every aisle in the supermarket? I know l don't. I avoid aisles l know l don't need anything from. I may visit those aisles once every 3 or 4 visits.
A major part of sales for stall holders is that impulse buy, as it is in any shopping centre, go for this, leave with this, that, and some of those. It is normal behaviour.
I do see some logic, in the comments about, 1 opal, silver, gold, pearl, but looking around the market, most of our stalls are generally not exclusive to one exact type of product (excluding a few), but the the majority of jewellery stalls, have a selection of those items (using them as an example as they are what was commented on)"

30/04/2012 12:21:10 "Re impulse buying. Retail studies tell us that retailers make more when grouped. Even if we don't accept that, grouping is not going to stop tourists from browsing. I can concede that locals are more likely to hit and run but they probably do that now anyway."
30/04/2012 22:19:04 Shoppers come to the market because they have time and a bit of spare cash to look around. It's the differences in businesses that make the interest, not the samenesses.  Grouping together cuts out variety and limits browsing. However an information board showing where GM stallholders are located would be great. 
01/05/2012 17:29:45 "Its obvious there are many thoughts and issues on “grouping” that need to be carefully considered before any real attempt to implement the concept be attempted and applied to the Market.
However there are definitely 2 steps that can and should be taken to assist shoppers who have come to the Market seeking specific traders:
1. A manned information booth located centrally and easily accessible to visitors to the Market.
2. A daily electronic update as to the exact location of Traders on the day be made available online and possibly via an app. for smart phone users.
I would think these 2 steps should provide sufficient assistance for “return” or time poor local shoppers who need to find specific traders quickly.
Then the complex and stimulating discussions and issues that “grouping” comports can be discussed by all concerned. With appropriate communication, collaboration and compromise by all parties, I would think we may come up with some excellent and interesting proposals." 


21/05/2012 12:40:35 "there is an alternative to grouping like minded stalls..lets put all the brainics who think things are okay at the market today together..put them in a nice little corner and they can play together..understandable the problem is complicated and raises many issues but we do need to change the strategy..reading the trip advisor i get the feeling most people like and enjoy the food aspect of the market and thats where it ends.good mention of cheap souvenirs and ugg boots as well..
the quality image of the market in the general merchandise side of the market is lacking and falling..that is the issue at hand. how do we fix up that section to increase the average spend..sure we have many people coming through via festivals, and other events,.. it is not resulting in increase in sales..to begin a process people need to acknowledge a problem exists.only then ideas and solutions can came about...what about grouping stalls according to other criteria..EG "" EUROPEAN QUALITY GOODS"", WOMENS FASHION 20-35, MENS CASUAL GOING OUT, AUSTRALIAN MADE,., BABY CLOTHING...these categories could allow for a less complicated offer while keeping some sort of order..you could place similiar categories at opposite ends..again no simple solutions for general merchadise apart from increasing the quality.. we will never attract any new quality tenants with the way we are now ..word travels quickly and with the cost and hours needed by an owner to operate a stall it is simply to hard to make a profit..the pessimists must surely understand that we need to try something different to both attract new tenants and new OR OLD  'SPENDING CUSTOMER"" NOT JUST CHARDONNAE/LATTE DRINKERS..
" grouping stalls                                                     


                                    

Sunday 20 May 2012

Is Your Stall On This UK Tourist Site?

Trip Advisor UK advertises itself as the largest tourist site in the world and it encourages its members to put photos online. Australia is naturally well featured by UK tourists and there are nearly 120 photos of the Queen Victoria Market.

Trip Advisor is worth visiting by all traders, not just because of the photographs but also because of the comments by tourists. There are some170 reviews with over 140 of them rating the market Very Good or Excellent. Their views reveal some home truths and even complimentary reviews include criticism of things like stall duplication and low quality goods in the top end.
We think a few pointers can be drawn from Trip Advisor –
1.       If you object to customers taking photos of your stall, think again. The Trip Advisor website is proof that any photo can become valuable free advertising.
2.       QVM management need to seriously examine their selection criteria. Too much duplication can be attributed to trader selection.
3.       If your category is considered over-represented, you may need to examine what changes you can make to differentiate yourself from your competitors.
4.    If there isn't a photo of your stall on this website, perhaps there should be.
Tourist Advisor can be found at http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Attraction_Review-g255100-d256569-Reviews-Queen_Victoria_Market-Melbourne_Victoria.html

Wanted: Traders for Interview

Our intrepid interview reporter, Tony Pierrakos, is in need of some new prospects for market interviews.
Market interviews remain one of our most popular posts on this website but in recent times, candidates have been a little shy coming forward. If you would like to contribute to the rich offering of personal stories in this market, or you would like to nominate somebody who you think should be interviewed, please contact Tony, or Greg Smith or leave a comment below. Your comments will remain confidential and won’t be posted.

Friday 18 May 2012

Latest Retail News – 19/05/2012

Latest Retail News – 19/05/2012

1.      Boston Consulting group say Australian consumers among most financially insecure in developed world.
2.      Choice Magazine urges ACCC to investigate Australian retailers attempting to block cheaper prices online.
3.      David Jones Company Secretary follows other senior staff leaving the company.
4.      Gaming retailer, Game, placed in hands of liquidator.
5.      Furniture retailer Nick Scali expects 22% profit drop this year.
6.      Seven in ten Australian retailers put major business decisions on hold.
7.      Australian Retailer of the Year awarded to Dan Murphy’s.
8.      Retravision holds emergency meetings with members to discuss cash flow issues.
9.      Electronics giant, Samsung, launches chain of apparel, shoes and accessories stores.

Traders Receive Small Business Commendations

The Lord Mayor’s Commendations recognise long term small business proprietors in the City of Melbourne. At an event on Monday 14th May five Queen Victoria Market Traders received their commendations.
The awards recognise the contribution of small business to the local economy and Melbourne’s creative and cultural reputation. Over 330 small business proprietors and 12 family run businesses have received commendations since the inception of the scheme in 2005. There are various categories of commendations starting at a Bronze level for 10+ years through Silver and Gold to Platinum for 50+ years plus a category for multi generational businesses.
Monday evenings recipients included traders Wayne Chitty (Generational commendation and Silver commendation), Greg & Sue Smith (each received a Silver commendation), and Dominic & Joe Marino who received Bronze commendations. Past recipients, Kevin & Annette Stanisich, John Magno, and John Pontelandolfo joined in the celebrations. The evening is an opportunity for recipients to join with family, friends, Melbourne City officials and other small business owners in recognition of the important part that small business plays in Melbourne’s structure.
Traders with at least 10 years service who are interested in being part of the 2013 commendations can telephone 03 9658 9658.



Images courtesy of City of Melbourne, van der Toorren photographer and The Block Arcade.


COMMENTS:
Andy 18/5/2012 -  well done , congratulations to all.

Cautious Optimism On Retail Sales Growth.

We posted recently that April retail sales were up almost 1% following modest rises in February and March.
Commentators are now pointing to the cash splash elements of the recent federal budget as a positive for retail. The decline of the Australian dollar makes overseas prices for goods less attractive and that is also seen as a positive for local retailers.
Waiting for things to get better is not the recommended course of action. Retailers need to constantly look for ways of improving their business and embracing new methods and technologies, but a background of positive growth certainly helps.


This post was written yesterday (Thursday 17th May). We notice today that the US and Australian stock markets have dropped dramatically as the Greek political drama sucks the confidence out of world economic discussion. It seems a little crazy to talk of optimism in this environment but we are going to go with the trend of the last few months as our best guide. Todays economic down will be followed by tomorrow's up - won't it? - Ed

Thursday 17 May 2012

New QVM Video

QVM have uploaded a new Marketlife video to Youtube.




Consultation Over M Shed More Important Than It Seems.

Traders will be aware that management are planning a new retailing concept in M shed that basically involves the introduction of craft traders operating out of shipping containers.
The containers will be lock up, presumably have power, and will be occupied by traders who make their own goods.
Introducing new concepts into the top end is part of a plan to rejuvenate the market and provide new and exciting aspects for our customers. The rejuvenation process is championed by our Lord Mayor and is consistent with his push to return QVM to its number 1 iconic position in Melbourne's landscape.
The intent is positive but like all change, it brings problems. M shed currently looks on to a QVM slum with the back of L shed being devoted to a jumbled mix of cars, vans and storage boxes. Obviously, for the new retail concept to be given every chance of success, the back of L shed needs to be tidied up and traders who have box storage in that area and, in some cases a personal car park, may have to find alternatives. Now, before those traders get up in arms, let's make it clear that whilst a personal carpark is probably generally conceded as a luxury, a trader’s reliance on stall access and storage facilities are a very important part of running a market business.
The bottom line is that consultation is imperative. Traders with individual problems need to be accommodated. Equally, a brave new concept deserves every chance of success. The willingness of traders and management to reach a positive result for the benefit of the whole of the QVM is under scrutiny.

Re-assessing Your Website

Web site design used to be "more is better" but things have changed and impressing your customers with your business history and a detailed list of your product range and all the associated delivery, return, re-ordering options is past history. Now it is about smooth easy navigation for the customer to do what they came to your site for - order stuff and have it delivered.

Websites are now about attractive graphics that give a "product feel", easy navigation to the desired product, and easy check out. If you have recently updated your website and can recommend a cost effective way of achieving a new website look, we'd love to hear from you.

Is Our Market's Soul Being Destroyed? Re-visited

At our traders meeting with the Lord Mayor yesterday (7th May) an impassioned plea by one of our Fruit and Vegetables traders gained attention.
This trader talked about the grass roots of the QVM and the core element of family. He talked about the rigors of market life requiring great commitment and adaptive powers, both key strengths of a family structure.
Running your own stall is a process of commitment, pride, obligation to your family, and hopefully earning a reasonable income for your endeavours. As a business owner you make sacrifices in time and effort to achieve that result. The personal attention you give your customers reaps rewards in the form of income, and the satisfaction of a job well done. As the member of a family business, this is not just a job but a lifetime commitment.
 However, the focus on family principles has slowly but surely been eroded by leases and transferable licenses that set the business commitment to 6 years, instead of a lifetime. Add in the growth of multi-stall ownership requiring managers and you remove the personal touch which is just so critical to good customer service.
Corporatisation of our market makes it much easier to run the corporation. Many facets of the market become standardized, boxed-in, and regulated. But, in the process, are we destroying the essence of what makes us so special?

COMMENTS:
09/05/2012 23:53:06 "This is such a well written and truthful piece. I'm now a second generation trader taking over my mums stall. I could walk away from this and earn a lot more for a lot less work but I choose to stay as I am so proud of what my parents achieved here. They started in 1970 as the first ever jewellery stall. We were the first to sell opals and sterling silver charms.  Mum used to queue up at 430 in the morning to get a stall and sometimes she didn't get one so she'd ask other traders if she could use s bit of their table. Dad used to make a lot of the things we used to sell and that was done after hours at home and sometimes we'd help out so it is very much family orientated.
I grew up in the market and now my son is doing the same. It's one massive multicultural family for him with many aunties uncles and a special gran. The way things are currently going with all these licenses, I'm still on the old arrangement, I don't see a future for my son in the market or my self. In the old days all the traders used to band together and fight all the bullshit, now there is that much segregation and everyone on licenses is too scared to do anything for fear that their license may not be renewed.
Something needs to be done, it's a very special place and all of the families are starting to disappear, there aren't many places in the world where there is such a large concerntration of family owed and operated businesses." Right to the point
 


13/05/2012 06:45:41 On one hand my heart goes out to those that talk about the family aspect of the market, but on the other hand what I care about is feeding my family not having a family at the market, that is my business, my place of work. My friends and family are in my home, in my home town. Unfortunately, most of the traders that have been at the market have been there for generations and this is part of the biggest problem that we have. Stallholders have talked about how good the market was many years ago, and many years ago when there was no competition from weekend trading it didnt matter how bad or good the stallholders were at customers service, at product selection and merchandising. However, now we are in 2012 and all of those factors really matter and because no one has moved with the times, the market is dying, so its only the stallholders who have caused the death of its soul. Change is innevitable, nothing works if busienss owners dont move with the times, many stall holders also come from countries where once again customer service, product selection and merchandising doesnt matter. When was the last time stallholders looked at their product offering, went to trade fairs, followed trends? How can they expect to be competitive in the market when none  of this gets done? Do they really understand what the customer wants? its clear that cheap products and discouts is not the answer otherwise the market would be booming, so its all about product offering and customer service. There is no point trying to blame anyone, its about taking responsibility like a true adult and business owner would do, not like someone who has been run by a public school and the headmaster dictates. I believe the only way will be to privatise the market and get some business minded people running the market, after all it is a business and it should be run like a business, not like a family that it is not. I really love the multi-culturalism and the family owned busiensses, i really do, especially having grown up overseas myself in many 3rd world countries, but unless everyone moves with the times and does a total product and stall revamp and improves their customers service skills, they need to leave it to those that want to see change, want to improve, want to take responsibility and not leave it up to market management who clearly need to be leaving themselves (unless they do some serious training in how to manage a business). Lets all work together with the Mayor in deciding how to firstly change management and then work with the new management in improving the quality of stall holders, leading to great success !! everyone at this market should be making lots of money... it should be a happy place to work, everyone should be being joyous,, its a market for godness sake !!...  Market soul 

17/05/2012 I try to keep open debate on this website, but the above comment demands a response. The poster seems to think family business and progress are mutually exclusive. A well run family business will accommodate all aspects of moving with the times, updating product ranges and merchandising techniques and giving great customer service. The point is that a family business often adds the personal touch that enhances the customer experience and there are many fine examples at the Queen Victoria Market. Let’s not debase one of our finer attributes in the search for someone to blame for the current dilemma of retailing. - Ed

13/05/2012 08:11:24 I agree that multi-ownership of stalls is eroding the essence of the market.  Small business owners are always the most enthusiastic and pleasant to deal with.  Just the other day I walked past a stall to see a staff standing around playing with her phone, I wanted to buy something but decided not to because staff were not interested in me - people only buy from someone they like.                                    
                 

Tuesday 15 May 2012

A Traders Recipe for Improvement

One of our fruit & vegetable retailers has offered his views on improving the QVM.
1.       Introduce new retail  outlets – Groceries, Post Office, Newsagency, more Food Stores, Dry Cleaners, Alterations, Hair dressers  - to give our customers an all round shopping experience.
2.       Kids area and safety crossings for families.
3.       Full page advertising in daily newspapers.
4.       Extra parking with 2 hours free on Saturday and Sunday. Stop parking losses – 30-40 spots have been lost within the carpark. Victoria St. parking has been lost. Parking at the Franklin/Queen St. roundabout has been lost.
5.       More tourists.
6.       Reduce traders rent.
7.       Cool rooms to maintain fruit in fruit and vegetable areas.
Thanks Ben.

andy Andy said...
Ben has some very valid points.
my view is that a lot more parking spaces have been lost. When you take into account the time changes, on the signs.
why would you charge, parking fees on the weekends in an empty city, void of traffic?
Im still waiting for the day i get a good answer to this .
don’t  you know that you have to pay from 6.30 am until well past 7 pm on week ends.
16 May 2012 20:37

Saturday 12 May 2012

Latest Retail News – 12/05/2012

Latest Retail News – 12/05/2012

1.      Centro Retail reports minimal 1.2% sales increase for first quarter but expects rate cut to improve picture.
2.      Accessories retailer, Oroton, launches first ever apparel collection at Sydney event.
3.      NAB reports online sales up 19% year on year.
4.      Convenience stores association slams regulation that prevents sale of alcohol.
5.      ABS statistics suggest retail industry recovery confirmed by March statistics.
6.      Australian National Retailers Association says March retail figures just a statistical blip.
7.      Walmart asks its customers to select new products for inclusion in stores.
8.      Dominos launch pizza ordering on Facebook.
9.      David Jones axes Home & Food and Marketing Group Executives in restructure.
10.  Young workers allowed to work after school after court throws out union appeal.
11.  Sony reports $6 billion global loss.