Murray Crane, founder of Crane Brothers, has renewed the business' High St lease for 25 years.
Murray Crane, founder of Crane Brothers, has renewed the business' High St lease for 25 years.
Menswear retailer Crane Brothers has renewed its High St lease for 25 years with owner Murray Crane saying he sees the location as key to the long-term future of the business.
CBD retailers have struggled in recent years with Covid lockdowns resulting in fewer workers coming into the city, combinedwith tougher economic conditions keeping shoppers’ wallets closed.
Queen St department store Smith & Caughey’s shut its doors on June 15 blaming a “perfect storm of adversity” including increased parking costs, ongoing roadworks and slow progress of the planned City Rail Link (CRL)
Crane, who was highly critical of Smith & Caughey’s closure, said he had signed on for the long lease as he wants to be a legacy business - although he understands the risk.
“When we celebrated our 25th year last year I sat down and put in some plans on how the next 25 years could look for us as a business, and one of the main parts of that was location,” Crane said.
Crane Brothers is based on the ground floor of the building with the hotel above it.
Crane Brothers recently benefitted from renovations to its Auckland's High Street store, including restored timber floors, terrazzo surfaces, and curated New Zealand artworks.
Crane said a lot had changed since the store opened, from how people shopped to how the city functioned.
“But the essence of what we do remains the same. We’ve always focused on quality, craft, and care.
“The way we deliver that has evolved; we’ve embraced technology and digital integration, but the fundamentals haven’t shifted.
“We still vacuum and polish the brass every morning, clean the windows every week. That consistency, that discipline, is part of our rhythm.”
Crane said the business was tracking on par with the last financial year, but importantly it was seeing same-store growth despite the addition of a second Auckland location in Ponsonby.
The business’ online sales also continued to trend upwards.
He said that while high rent and land-use challenges persist at the Ponsonby location, there was a genuine appetite for experiential, local retail.
“I believe both areas are contributing to the wider recovery of retail in Auckland in their own way. I wouldn’t compare the two directly – they’re different environments, and both serve a purpose.
“What’s more important is recognising that strong retail can take many forms.”
The business also has a location in Christchurch, and formerly had a site in Sydney, although that store was forced to close due to pressure from Covid and its subsequent travel restrictions.
Murray Crane believes strong retail can thrive in diverse environments such as High St.
Speaking to Heather du Plessis-Allan on NewsTalk ZB on Friday, Crane said he was seeing a lot of businesses who had positive growth.
“I think Covid really did knock the CBD for six, and on top of that we had a lot of people working from home and the number of people coming into the city reduced dramatically,” Crane said.
“But we’re definitely seeing that tide turning reasonably slowly, but it is turning. All the numbers seem to be pointing in the right direction, which is great.
“Particularly where we are in High St, we’re seeing tenancies being refilled and leases being signed and people looking for space, so it feels like we’re definitely on the front foot.”
Crane said that he feels the narrative about Auckland’s CBD being over-run with crime and troublemakers has been overplayed, likening it to other cities around the world where the behaviour naturally arises.
As for the business’ other location on Ponsonby Rd, Crane agreed in part to the sentiment that business in the area is dying.
“I think there’s definitely some truths, having been up there now for a few years, and then having had stores there in the past as well.
“I think that’s partly symptomatic of a changing demographic of Ponsonby as well, house prices, the age of people living there, it definitely feels like it’s lost some of its edge.”
Retail critique
Crane was outspoken after the news that Auckland’s iconic retailer Smith & Caughey’s would close, sharing what he believed were the key reasons the business met its fate.
He pointed to inadequately trained staff and poor service as key reasons behind the business’ demise, arguing the staff seemed “disinterested”, rather than wider economic factors.
At the time of the business’ closure, up to 100 staff were expected to be made redundant.
Crane still backs that critique today, arguing that the core message he was trying to convey is that while things like construction and city disruption are real, they shouldn’t be the only story.
“We need to shift the narrative and focus on what’s working – not just what’s hard. Running a business like ours has never been easy.
“We chose to sell designer menswear in one of the smallest, most challenging markets in the world. We face adversity daily.
“That reality has shaped who we are – we’re focused, agile, and used to making things work under pressure.
“It’s part of our culture, and I think it’s one of the reasons we’re still here. We’ve stayed close to our customers, adapted quickly, and continued to invest in the places and people we believe in.”
Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.
