Still no word on future of Farmers
Farmers’ Cuba St store in Wellington could be redeveloped after suffering earthquake damage, but whether the department store will reopen is unclear.
The store was forced to close its doors following the magnitude-7.8 Kaikoura quake in November.
But 134 days on, the doors are still shut and the closure is affecting surrounding retailers. Meanwhile, the company is still unwilling to say whether it planned to resume trading, or what the extent of the damage was to the space.
First Retail Group managing director Chris Wilkinson told the OurCBD retail and hospitality group meeting last week that the site was likely to be redeveloped.
But Farmers was yet to signal whether it would be a part of the plans, after removing stock and papering up the windows early last month.
When asked about possible redevelopment of the building and whether the department store would return, a Farmers spokeswoman said there was ‘‘no further information to provide on Cuba St at the present time’’.
Willis Bond & Co bought the property in 2014.
Managing director Mark McGuiness said: ‘‘We would not make any comment separate to what Farmers have said. However it is anticipated the site will be redeveloped over time.’’
Wilkinson said the closure was not ideal, and was impacting surrounding businesses.
‘‘The fact it’s been out of action has disrupted the usual market up there. It’s changed the pedestrian patterns a bit,’’ he said.
‘‘Many people who have gone up there usually have not been and that’s impacting other retailers ...
‘‘What we would say for the city though, this does need to be prioritised.’’
The closure was not the first quake-enforced trading break the store has suffered.
Farmers was forced to close its doors for more than a month after a magnitude-6.6 quake struck in August 2013.
There were concerns about the stability of the heritage building it leased.
‘‘These kinds of developments do need to stack up financially, so the owners of the site ... are no doubt in talks with retailers like Farmers,’’ Wilkinson said.
‘‘It may even be a situation where that frontage splits and other retailers go in there as well.
‘‘There are a number of retailers in the market, presently, scoping out opportunities.’’
Clare Bowden, who owns neighbouring shop Mandatory, said Farmers had long been a major ‘‘drawcard’’ for Cuba St because it was ‘‘very, very convenient’’.
‘‘It was definitely ready for an overhaul, but having such an inner-city department store, it’s a real treat,’’ she said.
Fusion on Cuba St owner David Byrne said feedback from customers was that they enjoyed the convenience of having Farmers in the area, and were missing the store.
Wilkinson said if Farmers was to reopen, it would be good to have a home focus.
‘‘There’s a lot of residential development going on there.
‘‘Ideally, for the city, we’d see more of a homewares emphasis,’’ he said.
"The fact it's been out of action has disrupted the usual market up there ... Many people who have gone up there usually have not been." Chris Wilkinson, First Retail Group managing director