Retailers told their malls are boring

Evan Harris, of Colliers, says the Christchurch earthquakes have affected shopping behaviour. Photo / Supplied

Malls have become boring and retailers should think of new and more exciting ways to make shopping a better experience.

That is the view of John Albertson, chief executive of the Retailers Association, who told 230 delegates at the Property Council's retail conference at SkyCity in Auckland how our malls were tedious.

People were sick of them being exactly the same wherever they went, he said.

"You all have the same offering. You need to get some independents into the centres because you're all looking exactly the same. If you don't keep it exciting, you'll bore the pants off consumers."

He described how one lively Melbourne shop repainted its exterior four time a year to match the seasons. All that cost was a four-litre can of paint. He encouraged big changes and fresh offerings for New Zealand shoppers.

Albertson also fretted about the date of the election, a month before Christmas.

"It couldn't be worse for retailers. When people become uncertain, they put their wallets away. We want a good clean result and a Government in place within 48 hours."

About 5 per cent of New Zealand retail sales were made online now, he said. This equated to $2.34 billion.

Bright spots for retailers included the Rugby World Cup, predictions of a better Christmas season and the rebuilding of Christchurch.

Evan Harris of Colliers International Property Management in Christchurch, spoke about behaviour and attitude shifts in his city. About 70 retailers were keen to occupy 30 steel shipping containers due to arrive in Christchurch soon and replace Cashel Mall shops, he said.

"They'll look like shops, with timber floors, gibbed walls, glass frontages and lighting."

The multi-level Lichfield St carpark could be open for shoppers by then, he said, although Christchurch CBD would not lack parking by the time the containers opened as shops on Saturday, October 29.

Harris said top-end retailers were being sought to complement Ballantynes which had undertaken a refurbishment of its ground floor and planned to reopen.

The containers would go on the Whitcoulls site in Cashel Mall and another site nearby where buildings were being demolished.

"They'll be there until Easter, then it depends on the owners of those sites and when they start rebuilding," Harris said outside the conference before his address.

The earthquakes had a major effect on shopping behaviour. For example, an annual $300 million of grocery spending in the city's east was forced west after The Palms at Shirley and Eastgate nearby were shut for months. But Kiwi Income Property Trust's Northlands mall at Papanui and other malls at Hornby, Merivale and Riccarton were thriving, Harris said.

"Some of the malls in Christchurch have doubled their turnover," he said.

"About $1 billion in annual retail spending is affected by households moving from east to west."

Colliers' Christchurch business and staff had been affected. The 70 staff who fled from the 800sq m level-nine offices of Kiwi's 20-level PricewaterhouseCoopers building in Christchurch CBD were now squeezed into about 350sq m of floorspace on Sir Gil Simpson Drive overlooking Russley Golf Club.

Colliers' property management portfolio has also shrunk.

The firm managed 120 properties of which 37 are in the red zone CBD area and four are being demolished.

Rent abatement provisions allowed Colliers to cease paying rent for its PWC offices, Harris said. That would remain until the offices could be occupied.

A survey showed 76 per cent of businesses which had moved to the suburbs wanted to go back to the city. Harris said they wanted low-rise, safe buildings but but also required a business environment for all the services such as lawyers and accountants.