Food the key for malls
Boredom is the malls’ greatest enemy as they fight the impression they’re all the same.
Lucy Cook is a diligent mall shopper, but she’s getting bored with what’s on offer. ‘‘I like that everything is all in one place and malls usually have the bigger brands,’’ she said.
Cook visits Porirua or Queensgate mall in Wellington about three times a week.
‘‘I want to see more designer brands, make up stores, and food. I struggle to eat anything at the mall.
‘‘We have Subway and Sushi, and Tank is at the other side of the mall, but that’s it,’’ she said.
More parking was also a must, she said.
Queensgate mall has been struggling to get customers through its doors in part because it lost its multi-level carpark after the Kaiko¯ura earthquake.
First Retail managing director Chris Wilkinson said new food and beverage outlets was definitely something malls needed to introduce.
Malls around the world were getting rid of fast food and introducing upmarket eating options, he said.
‘‘Food has been a big focus. A good example is Birmingham where the city council was a large shareholder in one of the malls and they worked closely with local food businesses that were near and dear to the community to help them put sites in.
‘‘We’re going to see much more of this. People are very much tired of the sameness, it’s desperately affecting our retail, so it’s vital we have these operations coming through.’’
Australian mall revamps are considered more advanced, with Bangaroo in Sydney offering contemporary eateries, events, designer markets, and even school tours.
The dining area at Auckland’s Sylvia Park shopping centre is one example of New Zealand following suit.
The mall is expanding as part of a $9.1 million upgrade finishing in December.
It will get six new restaurants, a new square and a dining pavilion.
Kiwi Property chief executive Chris Gudgeon said the design was part of Kiwi Property’s ‘‘long-term vision’’ to create a world-class town centre at Sylvia Park.
Wilkinson said mall operators also need to target teenagers.
‘‘They want to see friendly environments and places where they can congregate and that get what they’re about.‘‘
Wilkinson said food brought people together daily.
‘‘We are eating out more and spending more,’’ he said.
Marketview spending figures show since 2007, the value of spending at restaurants, bars, cafes and takeaways has increased by 66 per cent, compared to 25 per cent for all retail spending.
Bars, restaurants, cafes and takeaways accounted for 11 per cent of total consumer spending in the year to August, up from 7.7 per cent almost a decade ago.
‘‘Ten years ago we would have had meetings in the office; now we would never think about having meetings in the office,’’ Wilkinson said.
‘‘That creates a daily connection with food and beverage, which creates a connection with your retail stores at the same time so this is the secret. If you can get that right, you’ve got it nailed.’’
Malls had an advantage over online shopping because they could curate stores of the same type together and offer less.
‘‘People are getting overwhelmed online. If you go onto Amazon, instead of 50 different kettles there’s a thousand. It’s just overwhelming and people disengage,’’ he said.
Cook avoids online shopping unless it’s for make up.
‘‘I like to try on clothes before I buy them. Because I work in retail, I know that the clothes can look very different online.’’
People are very much tired of the sameness, it's desperately affecting our retail. Chris Wilkinson