What's selling in - Booragoon, WA

With a population of approximately 5,300, the Perth suburb of Booragoon is named for the aboriginal word for the lower reaches of the Canning River.

It is also home to well-known Perth shopping centre Garden City, which has attracted a vibrant retail offering comprising both mall and strip shops. With fashion retailers ranging from mass market to upper middle market customers, the middle-income area around Booragoon attracts retail trade from both the local and tourist markets.

Garden City houses chain stores including Cue, Kookai, Maggie T, Noni B, Peter Alexander, Portmans, Jacqui E and Flower and is also home to womenswear retailer Liz Davenport, which operates 14 stores around Australia, 75 per cent of them located in large shopping centres.

A mid to high-end retailer primarily targeting the 35-plus market, Liz Davenport stocks a wide range of womenswear as well as eventwear and accessories including belts, scarves and hats.

The label caters to "the everyday woman's lifestyle" confirms a Liz Davenport spokeswoman, adding its inspiration comes from a desire to "make women feel good about the way they look".

Since its foundation in the early 1970s, the brand has achieved a strong following with female travellers who have come to rely on its adaptable travel wardrobe offering, she adds. 

More recently Liz Davenport diversified into sub-brand Show Pony, designed by Davenport's daughter Katie Davenport.
Aside from chain stores, Garden City also houses a small number of boutiques including womenswear retailer More!. Offering a wide range of mid to high-end labels More!'s point of difference lies in the fact that 80 per cent of its product is exclusive, comprising a large number of imported brands including Twinset and Trelise Cooper, as well as a range of accessories.

"It's very much about attitude rather than age," says owner Maria Short, referring to the store's diverse target market. The outlet (More! also operates two further outlets in the suburbs of Claremont and Subiaco) benefits from a broad spectrum of shopping centre trade attracted by the promise of a boutique experience, she adds.

POPULATION:  600,000
LOCATION:  10km from Perth city centre
 STORES:  Liz Davenport, More!
BRANDS:     Liz Davenport, Katie Davenport (Show Pony) Twinset, Trelise Cooper 
 
By Belle Young