The Death of an Auckland Department Store
Like all OG Aucklanders I’m upset that Smith and Caughey’s in Queen Street is to close up shop
An expedition to the old girl was part of my history.
Late night Friday we’d troop in to Q Street and pay a visit to the glittering store and window shop
The Christmas windows were the best in New Zealand.
The Copper Room café was the café my father wanted to go to after he recovered from his stroke. The café had many names but always Copper. It was luxe café dining when luxe cafes were rare in Auckland
But the writing on the wall was being written for decades before Smith and Caughey’s demise. And we chose it.
There used to be many department stores in Auckland. George and John Court’s shops for instance. They disappeared years ago due to changing retail behaviour.
Milnes and Choyce was another. They used to have a shop in Remuera but that collapsed years ago.
The department stores and Queen Street fell with the rise of the suburban shopping malls. Lately the ongoing financial slump is a dagger. Foot traffic in central Auckland is down significantly from last year as people choose not to shop to save money. Add to that the modern trend of work from home reducing numbers.
Cinemas moved to the suburbs also reducing foot traffic immensely.
The mall’s convenience of their massive carparks and sheer number of outlets close to where we live spelt the end of High Street shopping except for boutique stores.
We saw that with the closure of Farmers on Hobson Street. Despite it’s massive carpark the store downsized to a Queen Street location and multiple outlets in malls. It’s where the people went.
The development of Westfield Newmarket and the subsequent death of Broadway is more proof of our changing retail habits.
Smith and Caugheys held on for so long because it stocked high end items. The only things I bought from S&C were Calvin Klein underpants and a pair of Burberry ankle boots that are still the most expensive shoes I own
I only shopped there in their legendary sales which was when things became affordable. Luxe brands now have their outlets downtown to grab the cruise ship market. Another nail in the coffin
Meanwhile the rise of fast fashion has decreased the demand for high end labels
But this morning I heard the spokesperson for the CBD retailers bang on about the roadworks in the area as though they were the principal factor. I know she had to do that because the existing retailers believe it should be the scapegoat as they seek reparations for the collapse.
She also blamed the perception of danger but I can assure you Queen Street was more dangerous when it was the only game in town. Recent violence in malls shows the thugs have changed their patterns as well.
The modernisation of Queen Street is what needed to happen to ensure the long term survival of the central city.
Faced with the onslaught of the mall and big box retail and departure of cinemas, Queen Street is being remodelled as a live entertainment district with boutique shopping and convenience stores for CBD residents.
The new train links will enable easy expeditions into town without the hassle and cost of increasingly privatised parking.
The street has been greened and emptied of cars just passing through to make it a more attractive environment. If you’ve been there lately you’ll know it’s starting to hum with the murmur of crowds not the roar of boy racers.
It’s sad to say goodbye to the chintzy department stores.
But if the council is to blame it’s because they allowed the proliferation of malls.
London and Paris resisted which is why Oxford Street stills works and why Paris has Galerie LaFayette and Samaritaine.
But then again the reason why New Zealand has embraced malls is because we like them so you can’t blame the council for that.
If you want to blame someone for the death of Smith and Caughey’s ask yourself this.
When was the last time you shopped there? And where did you shop instead?