What's Selling In: Kempsey, NSW
Like many independent store operators, Fay Eakin believes serial discounting is the scourge of modern retail. Particularly in regional Australia, where the battle for the dollar gets tougher with every drought and petrol price hike.
"We don't have many major retailers in Kempsey but the pressure to go on sale is still there," Eakin says. "When the bigger chains in Port Macquarie advertise their sales across television, radio and the newspapers, it stays in the mind of consumers so when they do their shopping, they come to expect [discounted] prices."
Lucky for Eakin, her 31 years in local retail have translated into a strong and loyal customer base. The K&A Boutique owner stocks a broad range of value and middle market brands including Bubblegum, Dolina, Yarra Trail, Lovers, Black Apple and Black Pepper. On the whole, Eakin says competition is reasonable but admits the recent revamp of value department store Target has caused some headaches.
"I think it's taken customers away from pretty much all of the independent boutiques here. They've really turned the business around in the last few years and people have noticed the change."
The Boutique owner Rebecca Lebrocq, who caters to the middle and upper market, disagrees. "We don't have too much competition because our market is different to that of Target," she says. "There is an independent department store [Barsby's] here but our brands are also different to those that are stocked there."
Catering to consumers aged 25 and over, Lebrocq stocks high-end brands such as Harry Who, George Gross, Charlie Brown, Tommy Hilfiger, Jag, VSSP, Moss & Spy and Andiamo. Although business has been steady since she opened three years ago, Lebrocq says conditions have become much tougher in recent times.
"Generally, we have pretty good weeks where business is steady but lately it's been much harder. I've decided to go to sale earlier this year to get things moving again - also, when the big department stores go on sale, you're kind of forced to follow."
Lebrocq remains optimistic, even with news a Coles complex will soon open just 50 metres from her store. "I don't know if it will be a good thing or a bad thing," she says. "I'm not aware that a clothing store is opening up in there so it might mean more traffic for us, it might not."
Location:428 km north of Sydney
Population: 11,000
Stores: The Boutique, K&A Boutique
Brands: Andiamo, Charlie Brown, Harry Who, George Gross, Moss & Spy, Tommy Hilfiger, VSSP, Jag, Bubblegum, Dolina, Yarra Trail, Lovers, Black Apple, Black Pepper
By Assia Benmedjdoub