Avalon, NSW
Making big money with small customers is not always easy but when it comes to Avalon, a beachside suburb 35 km north of Sydney CBD, fashion retailers highly value their pint size clientele. After all children between the ages of 0 and 17 make up 26.8 per cent of the suburb's 10,044 population and therefore represent a buying power that cannot be underestimated.
"Our customers find it much more convenient to shop locally," says Lauren Anderson, manager of surfwear boutique Beach General. "With kids on one's coat-tails the stores of Sydney CBD are a very long and stressful journey away." That's why Anderson also stocks childrenswear down to size 2 right next to shirts, shorts, dresses and bikinis for grown-ups. With brands such as Quiksilver, Roxy, Ripcurl, Billabong and Reef she finds, she can likewise satisfy the needs of kids, teenagers and parents.
Of course the small Avalon shopping village grouped around the intersection of Avalon Parade, Barrenjoey Road and Old Barrenjoey Road, next to the popular beach, also holds some specialised childrenswear boutiques such as Freckles for Kids and I Am Kidz. Despite the relatively small size of these stores, their wide selection of brands, sizes and styles is quite striking. With labels like Eeni Meeni Miini Moh, Collette Dinnigan, Red Wagon and Confetti, I Am Kidz not only caters for customers between the ages 0 to 12 but has everything from casual to dressy and from inexpensive to pricey on offer. According to a shop assistant such variety is necessary to satisfy all the needs of local mums and their offspring. "They know they can find everything they want at our boutique and when they discover that with their babies they keep coming back when the kids are growing older."
Following this principle, reminiscent of old corner shops charmingly supplying whole villages with all their essential needs, Beach General not only stocks surfwear for all ages but also a selection of menswear, including brands such as Coast, Yarra Trail and Weekenders.
Offering this variety in one store not only generates extra sales and spares locals the Saturday shopping trip to the city but also attracts tourists that flock to Avalon Beach on the weekends. "We have got lots of customers from the Western suburbs during the weekends," says Anderson, proof, in her opinion, that Avalon's retail can easily compete with the inner city offer.
LOWDOWN
Location: 35 km north of Sydney CBD
Population: 10,044
Brands: Eeni Meeni Miini Moh, Colette Dinnigan, Red Wagon, Confetti, Quicksilver, Roxy, Ripcurl, Billabong, Reef, Coast, Yarra Trail and Weekenders