Jeans shop changes hands

Ish and Susie Ranchhod have sold their long-running Rotorua store. Photo / Ben Fraser

From bell-bottoms to flares to skinny jeans - Ish and Susie Ranchhod have seen it all.

Now, after 36 years selling clothes in Rotorua, the couple have sold the Denim Zone to enjoy their retirement.

Happily, the pair didn't have to look far down Tutanekai St in order to hand over the reins - selling the business to Blarneys Rock Backpackers owners Peter and Kaylene Wines, who took over on Monday.

Mr Ranchhod is originally from Fiji while his wife is Rotorua born and bred. In 1977 they bought their first Rotorua business - a fabric store they turned into The Island Store, selling men's and women's clothes. In 1979 they added The Jean Centre on Pukuatua St, closing The Island Store soon after.

It was 1983 when they bought the building that now houses the Denim Zone.

"It was a fruit shop. There was a butcher and a fish shop on either side. People didn't go to the supermarket then," said Mrs Ranchhod.

Over the years the Denim Zone established a reputation for jeans, Harley Davidson and beer-branded gear and a range of clothing for large men.

They proudly claimed to have always had the best selection of Levi's in the city, continuing a long tradition of denim, said Mrs Ranchhod.

"From flares to bell-bottoms to skinnies to bubblegum jeans."

They were the only Rotorua stockists of beer-branded gear (Tui, Waikato, Lion Red and Speights) which Mrs Ranchhod said was popular.

Then there were the valued "big customers".

"There are a lot of big people ... we had people saying they had nowhere to go so we went into it in a big way," Mr Ranchhod said.

Now people come from as far away as Hamilton and Tauranga for the specialist stock and personal service, he said.

In fact, the couple were so confident in their customers' loyalty they shut up shop for two months every winter for the past five years.

They knew customers would wait, Mrs Ranchhod said. "We were never worried about it."

It was just after the couple returned from their last extended holiday - to America, Canada and an Alaskan cruise - that their retirement dream became reality.

They'd previously had the business on the market, without any luck, then their son put it on the internet. The next day, the Wines' called and weeks later the deal was done.

There was just enough time for the Ranchhods to farewell their beloved customers and reassure them it would be business as usual.

For the Wines', the timing was perfect. They'd been thinking about opening a Rotorua shop selling Harley Davidson and motorbike gear - with a sparkling Harley taking pride of place in the backpackers' reception they regularly got enthusiasts asking where they could buy New Zealand Harley merchandise.

Mr Wines said they planned to just bring the Denim Zone up to date, while still keeping its name and core customer base.

Plans include increasing the focus on motorbike and beer gear and a big push on the larger sizes, he said.

Unlike their predecessors (who openly admit to a distinct lack of internet knowledge) the Wines' have embraced technology - with a Denim Zone Facebook page and website already set up and plans for online trading - "just bringing it into the 21st century".

At a time when retailers are all too often shutting down, leaving stores empty, both couples agree they got a great outcome. Denim wearers are sure to feel the same.