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Facing tough competition from big retailers in nearby Albury, a group of fashion stores in Wodonga have rallied together to attract consumers. Melinda Oliver reports.
The owner of footwear store Bags 'n' Boots Bev Lodding is passionate about her home town of Wodonga, located on the border of Victoria and NSW.
But she is angry that it is sometimes referred to as a “struggle town” compared to its twin sister, Albury.
“We have always been the poor cousin to Albury,” she says. “We don’t want to be seen as the struggle town. We are a vivacious city. We have some very dynamic industries here and some very innovative people.”
Albury has a larger retail offering, with major stores such as Myer, Kmart and Target. Doing her bit to push Wodonga’s shopping credentials, Lodding has teamed up with five other retailers on High Street to create 'Fashion on High'. Under this banner, the retailers work as one force to promote the variety of fashion available on the street.
“We are privately owned stores and we believe that we can survive in this tough economic world by providing service and style as well as comfort,” she says.
Other participants include Genevieve Boutique, House of Lingerie, K-Serrah, Bags Plus and Seiburn Boutique. Marketing initiatives by Fashion on High include print advertisements in local press, a television commercial during the spring racing season, a purse-sized calender with store details on it and many promotional posters. Charity fashion parades have also been part of the drive.
“You build up your local market, you build up your recognition, you get known for your fashion,” Lodding says. “Customers think, I can go to Genevieve Boutique, I can get my shoes at Bags 'n' Boots, so I don’t have to go to Albury, I don’t have to go to Melbourne.”
Lodding's family-operated footwear business caters for men, women and children with labels such as Kumfs, Diana Ferrari, Echo and Zensu.
She says a key aspect of Fashion on High is regular communication between the businesses to compare trade and advice. They also actively refer customers to each other if they are unable to provide a product.
“We don’t believe we are competitive – we are complementing each other,” she says.
High Street Wodonga also comprises businesses such as food outlets and beauty services, with a lot of professional offices nearby.
Around a year into the scheme, Lodding says the benefits are slowly beginning to show. Her store has matched its previous year’s sales figures, despite a challenging retail climate. “We haven’t increased but I am confident,” she says.
The owner of House of Lingerie, Anne Lafferty, says the small investment of a few hundred dollars each in group marketing is much more affordable than covering costs individually.
“If I had to do it on my own for around $1500 [per advertisement], as a small business, we know how much that is,” she says.
The promotion not only helps the retailers involved, but the city as a whole, she says.
“Last that I heard was that we had about a 75 per cent flood [of customers] to Albury instead of thinking let’s stay local and buy local.”
House of Lingerie stocks sleepwear and major underwear brands such as Fayreform, Bendon, Berlei, Triumph and Lovable.
Lafferty says as the population of Wodonga continues to develop, sustaining a vibrant local retail community is vital.
“We really do need a major shopping centre here, so we need people to support it so that we can grow it.”
Forming the group served as a pre-emptive strike against the impact of interest rate rises and economic challenges, she says.
“Between all of our businesses some had struggled more than others. But before it got bad, because we all had such a good working rapport with one another, we were able to say let’s try and nip it in the bud, and just keep reminding people [we are here] before you turn around and think, gosh I’m in trouble.”
A key benefit emerging is that some customers are coming from out of town to shop in the street.
“We have good parking facilities, or reasonable parking facilities. They think it is quicker to come to us now as they can get a park right outside the store. That is unheard of in places such as Wangaratta and Beechworth.”
Genevieve Boutique owner Dawn George says the local council has been supportive of the group initiative, assisting financially in the graphic design for its branding.
“We met with council with the view to using their expertise and some of their money to develop a logo,” she says. “It has the council logo as well as the Chamber of Commerce ‘Shop Wodonga’ logo on it.”
George sells a mix of labels pitched at women aged 25 to 65. An initiator of the group, she says momentum on marketing activities has been a little inconsistent. This year, she will drive a renewed push and hopes to gain more official council support.
“I think it still has a lot of merit and one which I am keen to foster more. I am hoping there are ways which we can try and get some assistance or funding,” George says.
“It is not just promoting the six businesses, it is actually promoting the whole central business district, because we are attracting people."