Flooded retailers tough it out

NEW SOUTH WALES: Retailers in both Newcastle and the Blue Mountains are still struggling to assess the damage to their businesses wreaked by the devastating storms and floods of the June long weekend.

Chaos was unleashed on Saturday June 9 as floodwaters, driving rains and high winds consumed the Hunter Valley and Central NSW Coast, marking the worst weather conditions in more than three decades.

Loss of retail trade and damage to stock and property followed scenes of destruction that saw at least nine fatalities, scores of injuries, around 150,000 properties without power, hundreds of residents evacuated from their homes and a bulk carrier run aground on Newcastle's Nobby's Beach.

Ragtrader has learned from Newcastle retailers how police warned the public away from the central business district as store windows collapsed under pressure from floodwater and gale force winds, while shopping centres, some with underground car parks, were inundated.

Michelle Ramsay, store manager of urban and streetwear specialist Ramjet, located on key shopping precinct Darby Street, recalled the mayhem.

"On Friday night [June 8] the floods came rushing in on the main streets; both Hunter Street and Darby Street were two of the worst affected."

Ramsay said on Saturday and Sunday Ramjet - which stocks labels such as Milk & Honey, Fresh Jive, Mooks and Lee - was unable to trade due to loss of power. Meanwhile persistent rain had exacerbated leaking roofs and water damage throughout the area, she said.

Renowned Newcastle label High Tea With Mrs Woo, also located on Darby Street, escaped serious damage, according to High Tea With Mrs Woo co-founder Rowena Foong.

"We had some leaks but because we're on relatively high ground we weren't affected too badly."

However retailers on lower ground had faired less well, Foong confirmed, with clothing stores including Abicus on Darby Street and Onsomb on nearby Union Street damaged by water. Haberdashery and fabric specialist Spotlight's Hunter Street store was flooded due to overflowing from the local storm water drain while to the west of the CBD outerwear stores Mountain Designs and In Ski, both located on the corner of National Park Street were also damaged.

Looting further exacerbated the financial losses. The front window of streetwear specialist Loop Clothing was damaged by a thrown brick, adding to costs ensuing from enforced closure over the weekend due to power outages, confirmed owner James Heads.

"We were 100 per cent down on sales for those days, which was a bit of a blow. However we're pretty optimistic, pretty resilient. We're just going to plough on through."

The owner of streetwear retailer Overt, Greg Keegan, said his store had also suffered losses.

"The long weekend is usually really big for us, but we experienced a 60 or 70 per cent reduction of trade," he said, adding it would be months before losses could be recouped as the local economy would take time to recover.

"People are starting to reappear in the shops but they're not coming in with the intention to buy. However our market, which is 18 to 30-year-olds, won't be so badly affected as some. They don't have mortgages and other outgoings to worry about."

With donations from the public and charities rightly directed to those who had lost their homes and possessions, retailers were toughing it out, he added.

For some, it would be a long time before business returned to normal.

"We've got enough stock to trade but there may be stores who have to throw out flood damaged stock out for health reasons. In terms of scale of damage we're right at the bottom. We're not too badly off but there are people out there who've lost everything."