A kick and a promise
THE Rugby World Cup promised a boom for city retailers. Capital Times asked city businesses whether the hype has been delivered.
Reputation destroyed
The Courtenay quarter’s reputation is being destroyed by the City Council according to Hummingbird’s John Coleman.
“They promised us decorations and a big TV screen,” Coleman says. “So far the only decorations on Courtenay Place are on our restaurant, and the big screen has been diminished to the little screen on top of the Embassy Theatre.”
“It seems to us that that the fanzone on the wharf has been specially designed to discourage visitors to the Courtenay Quarter which is a very large part of why Wellington calls itself the title of ‘coolest capital in the world’.”
He says that the Rugby World Cup has added nothing whatever to Hummingbird’s trade, and he doubts there’s much difference among others along the strip.
But Coleman gives a reluctant yes to the City Council’s weekend ban on outside glass which means that all drinks will have to be served in plastic glasses.
“Women often get tired after a long day in their heels which they take off, and you can’t have them cutting up their feet, but I don’t know how we’re going to get on serving $15 – 20 cocktails in plastic glasses.”
Sweet Mother’s Kitchen Di Parker is serving more breakfasts but less food later in the day. She also wonders how customers will like drinking their wine out of plastic.
The council says removing glass from the stadium has saved lots of injuries from broken glass and it feels that when Courtenay Place is crowded the ban makes sense.
Retailers disappointed
Retailers in Wellington seem generally disappointed because they have seen little of the increased trade they expected from the RWC.
Gubb’s Shoe Store Julie Gubb says her turnover is exactly the same, and she’s been monitoring customers. “I can tell you that World Cup visitors aren’t buying women’s shoes.”
Not much change because of the RWC is the view of Moore Wilson’s Terry Christie, who says he thinks restaurant trade will have been about normal because many of them are customers, “however we’ve sold lots of Namibian, Italian and Argentinian beer, and plenty of All Black trinkets.”
Quoil Gallery sells jewellery in Willis Street. Phillipa Sullivan says they can’t really tell the effects of the RWC.
“We just had a big show and it was a huge success and lots of people came through, but we think it’s because we had great jewellery rather than RWC visitors.”
However Julie Gubb points out that her tiny effort to welcome RWC visitors was immediately stamped on by Council officials.
“I put a little notice on the blackboard outside saying ‘welcome RWC visitors’ and they made me rub out the words RWC, so I changed to our usual cheerful message.”
She asks why council officials feel it’s their job to monitor RWC advertising, and asks if the IRB is paying them.
“But it’s not all about sales” says Tilly Lloyd of Unity Books.
“As you can, see because our two best sellers at the moment are Nicky Hager’s Other People’s Wars, and the new NZ Native Trees by John Dawson and Rob Lucas, but it’s lovely having the international feel in the shop as people walk through speaking all their languages. Turnover is much the same”
Reputation destroyed
The Courtenay quarter’s reputation is being destroyed by the City Council according to Hummingbird’s John Coleman.
“They promised us decorations and a big TV screen,” Coleman says. “So far the only decorations on Courtenay Place are on our restaurant, and the big screen has been diminished to the little screen on top of the Embassy Theatre.”
“It seems to us that that the fanzone on the wharf has been specially designed to discourage visitors to the Courtenay Quarter which is a very large part of why Wellington calls itself the title of ‘coolest capital in the world’.”
He says that the Rugby World Cup has added nothing whatever to Hummingbird’s trade, and he doubts there’s much difference among others along the strip.
But Coleman gives a reluctant yes to the City Council’s weekend ban on outside glass which means that all drinks will have to be served in plastic glasses.
“Women often get tired after a long day in their heels which they take off, and you can’t have them cutting up their feet, but I don’t know how we’re going to get on serving $15 – 20 cocktails in plastic glasses.”
Sweet Mother’s Kitchen Di Parker is serving more breakfasts but less food later in the day. She also wonders how customers will like drinking their wine out of plastic.
The council says removing glass from the stadium has saved lots of injuries from broken glass and it feels that when Courtenay Place is crowded the ban makes sense.
Retailers disappointed
Retailers in Wellington seem generally disappointed because they have seen little of the increased trade they expected from the RWC.
Gubb’s Shoe Store Julie Gubb says her turnover is exactly the same, and she’s been monitoring customers. “I can tell you that World Cup visitors aren’t buying women’s shoes.”
Not much change because of the RWC is the view of Moore Wilson’s Terry Christie, who says he thinks restaurant trade will have been about normal because many of them are customers, “however we’ve sold lots of Namibian, Italian and Argentinian beer, and plenty of All Black trinkets.”
Quoil Gallery sells jewellery in Willis Street. Phillipa Sullivan says they can’t really tell the effects of the RWC.
“We just had a big show and it was a huge success and lots of people came through, but we think it’s because we had great jewellery rather than RWC visitors.”
However Julie Gubb points out that her tiny effort to welcome RWC visitors was immediately stamped on by Council officials.
“I put a little notice on the blackboard outside saying ‘welcome RWC visitors’ and they made me rub out the words RWC, so I changed to our usual cheerful message.”
She asks why council officials feel it’s their job to monitor RWC advertising, and asks if the IRB is paying them.
“But it’s not all about sales” says Tilly Lloyd of Unity Books.
“As you can, see because our two best sellers at the moment are Nicky Hager’s Other People’s Wars, and the new NZ Native Trees by John Dawson and Rob Lucas, but it’s lovely having the international feel in the shop as people walk through speaking all their languages. Turnover is much the same”
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