Persian Rug Gallery owner Mohammad Nobakh says the return of overseas cruises will be a big boost to businesses along Emerson St in Napier CBD. Photo / Paul Taylor
Persian Rug Gallery owner Mohammad Nobakh says the return of overseas cruises will be a big boost to businesses along Emerson St in Napier CBD. Photo / Paul Taylor
More people working from home has resulted in even fewer people visiting shops and cafes in Napier's CBD, a business owner says.
Foot traffic in Napier and Hastings CBDs is at a near-record low, which is causing serious concern for many retail and hospitality businesses already impacted by Covid.
Onecafe along a main street of Hastings, Taste Cornucopia, announced this week it would be closing down. Cornucopia Organics next door to the cafe will remain open.
New data shows foot traffic in Napier CBD for the month of January dropped about 25 per cent compared to January 2021 - or 153,000 pedestrians down to 116,000 pedestrians - according to one sensor. Up to date data for February is not yet available.
There is no data collected for Hastings CBD foot traffic but Hastings businesses have also reported low customer numbers.
A councillor has now called on people to continue supporting local and "popping into town" for a coffee or to shop.
Napier businesswoman Julia Zhang said apart from the five-day Art Deco Festival held last week, which brought an influx of visitors and customers to the city, it was currently the quietest she had seen the CBD in her 20 years operating her store.
Zhang owns Napier Central Store and a cafe called Albion Canteen, both in Napier CBD, the latter of which has other companies operating above it.
She said many office workers - including those above the cafe - were now working from home following the arrival of Omicron and the move to the 'red' traffic light system in January.
"I think most office workers can work from home. So that means not as many people [in the CBD]," she said.
"Those regular customers that come for their coffee and lunch, the everyday customers, quite a lot of those kinds of people are not around."
One of the main streets through Napier CBD. Photo / Ian Cooper
Zhang said people were also understandably apprehensive about going out as much with Omicron spreading.
She said government assistance did help businesses a "little bit" but until more customers and visitors returned to the region many would continue to struggle.
She encouraged more people to get the booster and vaccine to keep workers safe from Covid and businesses open.
There is no data collected for Hastings CBD foot traffic, but Hastings businesses have also reported low customer numbers.
"There has been a visible decline in foot traffic within Hastings," Emma Sey, the Hastings City Business Association general manager, said.
"Many businesses have commented on the lack of customers coming through, across retail and hospitality."
Napier councillor Sally Crown said it was an extremely tough environment for business owners.
She said the Art Deco Festival had provided a boost and the Government had announced a new Covid Support Payment, for businesses that had a 40 per cent drop in revenue.
The Art Deco Festival brought a welcome boost to Napier shops and cafes this month. Photo / Warren Buckland
However, she said some businesses would remain ineligible for that financial help.
"For those of us who have the means and can get out and about safely, we need to be doing the normal things we used to do - or usually do - whether we're working from home or otherwise: grabbing coffees, meeting friends for catch-ups, popping into town for bits and pieces."
Mohammad Nobakh, owner of Persian Rug Gallery HB in Napier's CBD, said the loss of cruise ships was still being felt by businesses along Emerson St.
"Before Covid we had very good foot traffic," he said.
"When a cruise ship arrives here you would see 3000 or 4000 people [visiting the CBD], sometimes more, sometimes less.
"When they come to Emerson St, all of Emerson St is buy, buy, buy, the same as Queen St in Auckland and Cuba St in Wellington."
Prior to Covid, over 70 cruise ships would visit Napier in a given year.
He said when Auckland went into lockdown last year business again dropped heavily.
Currently, he said it was quiet along Emerson St but he did not think it was quite as bad as when Auckland was in lockdown last year, and this month was better than January for sales.
Earlier this month, Jesters Pies in Napier's CBD closed due to the impacts of Covid.
