How lively is Wellington's CBD right now, and what impact have new dedicated beat police officers had on crime and safety in the city?
Those were the questions for this week's business panel with Swimsuit Cafe owner Tait Burge and Shoe Clinic Wellington owner Hamish French.
The pair joined Nick Mills, where they also discussed parking and roadworks in the city and the future of the Golden Mile project.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from news Talk Said b your inside word on all
things business in the Capitol with Quinobac, better Systems, better reporting,
better call, quinobeck, oh eight hundred Quinobec.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Let's get down, let's get down to persons. You monnight characters,
you've had a million million night.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Join us for the Business Channel. This week is Swimsuit
Coffee owner Tate Birge take good morning, Good morning, How
are you well?
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
I'm very interested in you because I've heard a lot
about you. Never meet you, but you're kind of like
the new young gun of coffee. You're the Jeff Kennedy
of the twenty twenties, aren't you. I mean, well, it
is a pretty big compliment, but ye are. You've started,
you know with one, two, three little cafes and you've
been doing extremely well and everybody loves your product and
loves you. So that's a good thing, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
Yeah? No, no, no, Yeah, pretty pretty stoked the support
we've been getting in mine to know, it's been been
a pretty wild road.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
But are you a Wellington guy?
Speaker 4 (01:10):
Yeah? I moved here when I was six, So let's
pretty much.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
What college you go to?
Speaker 4 (01:15):
One in college?
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Did you? Yeah, I would have picked out. I would
have picked Onslow or Wellington High. I love doing this
because I think I get it right all the time.
I would have picked Onslow Wellington High.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
That's true. I wasn't on the ballot to get into
one of college, so it was a bit of a
left field. Would have been wrong with I?
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Okay?
Speaker 4 (01:30):
If not?
Speaker 3 (01:31):
All right? Great and the owner of shoe clinic Wellington
and part of the franchise chain that's all over New
Zealand and it's done extremely well. Is Wellington own a
famous French good morning.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Age, Morning, morning neck.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
How are you?
Speaker 5 (01:43):
Yeah, very well, thank you.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
You're looking the prime of health and fitness. So you're
looking like your products. It's come and buy a pair
of shoes and look like me when you're I won't
mention your age, but you must be must be over
thirty now I.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Am slightly over thirty. Our neck of I've been well.
Speaker 5 (01:58):
I met you back in about nineteen ninety one, I
believe when in your excheque footlocker days.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Well, that's going back a few days. Yeah, we did
do a bit of business. You were with Rebok in
those days.
Speaker 5 (02:09):
I was with Reebok in those days. Yeah, they are huge, Brad, Yep,
they certainly were.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
See Tate would still think rebrokers are still a huge
brand because he's young. So you think it's trendy and
cool rebook where they've got out in the back door,
haven't they?
Speaker 5 (02:21):
Yeah, No, that's they back in those days between the
wars between Reebok and Nike were unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Huge, Yeah, huge.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Right, let's start of the state of the CBD. There's
been a lot of people talking about a big articles
in the paper that there's been talk of businesses shifting
from the CBD to the suburbs because they can get
cheaper rent and more people are working from home spending
their money in the suburbs. Tate, you've got a foot
in both cams. We've already had a couple of texts saying,
you know, Tate will be able to tell us what's
(02:49):
better being in the CBD where there's masses, or being
in the suburbs where you can get regular clientele. How
is the CBD feeling right now when you compare it
to the suburbs.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
CBD is overall it's a little bit a little bit
down at the moment. Definitely, in the last three weeks
we've noticed a pretty sharp drop and sales, but I mean,
you know, we're still still they're doing it. But yeah,
the suburbs has been pretty opening for us in terms
of opening up there. It was I never worked in
(03:22):
Suburbia prior to opening Murama, so it was a bit
daunting for us to do, just because we hadn't had
the experience of working there. But we knew that if
we could bring the speed of a town site to suburbia,
we could potentially do all right, So it's been super
opening for us. Essentially, the rents a lot cheaper out there,
(03:43):
the customers are great.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Can I ask you on a percentage basis because I
think your probably town's a bigger shop. I mean, I'm
just from a customer. I think it is. Tell me
if I'm right or wrong. So compare and I don't
want to know what you're paying in rent, but percentage wise,
what's the difference between your shop and Mirmara and your
shop on Dixon Street.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
We're paying about thirty per cent less less rent and
just it's considerable, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (04:07):
And I mean the space is almost double the format.
We're about forty two square meters in town and that's
about it's about seventy.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
And so I would have thought the opposite way around.
So it shows you how little I know and can
I can I ask you and you don't have to
give this information. I'm not asking dollars and cents, but
percentage wise, what does better?
Speaker 4 (04:28):
I mean, Dickson Street is definitely our busy one that
turns over the most, but in comparison, I would say
Murrama is a pretty solid one for us. Now it's
it's up there in terms of Dickson Street in terms
of just knowing that we're going to turn over this
much each week, and that's just due to the consistency
of the customers coming in. We do notice though that
like that, you know, and the CBD. It used to
(04:50):
be the Friday used to be our busy, busy kind
of day, but that switched to to kind of like
a Thursday.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Now it's Thursday the new Friday.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
And the CBD. I think, yeah, because Mirrama for us,
Monday and Friday the biggest days for us Monday, so.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
They stayed home on the weekends. That Hamish is nodding
his head now Hamish Is in retail in the CBD
Wallis Street. So are you seeing the same thing as
Tate as Friday than Thursday the new Friday and you've
lost those big sales on Fridays?
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Would I would say that it definitely is.
Speaker 5 (05:24):
We notice it, especially when we go to have a
coffee on a Friday morning the cafe that is, you know,
you have to wait five minutes in line to get
a coffee on a Thursday. Literally almost no one in
there on a Friday. So Friday does seem to have
become a work from home day. I haven't noticed it
so much on a Monday, but certainly I would say
(05:46):
that Friday is very much where the city feels empty.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Are you concerned about the way the direction of the
CBD's going. I mean you have been, You've been there
for twenty odd years. I'm guessing in Willis Street. Are
you concerned? Are you thinking, man, this is this is
starting to be.
Speaker 5 (06:03):
A worry yep, certainly are And And I guess from
a from a perspective of just trying to you know,
it feels like, rightly or wrongly, it feels like the
Council's wanting to get almost people out of the city
with especially with cars cars getting you know that they're
(06:23):
they're reluctant to let there be too much parking in
the city anymore. And frankly, I just don't really understand it.
I personally think that that's probably a model that maybe
works in biggest cities, But Wellington, I think is still
a place where people want to be able to drive
their car, park up and be able to wander around
the city and be able to do their shopping. If
(06:45):
they buy anything reasonably big, they can put it in
their car and head off home.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
I just don't.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
Understand well enough, and maybe I'm a bit naive, but
to me, parking in the city is crucial.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
I think, you see, there'll be a lot of our
listeners and I'll come to you and minitate on this,
but it'll be a lot of our listeners that say,
there are running shoe shop. They specialize on people running.
They don't want you to look good or be call
or tread. You're a runner, you go to shoe clinic.
So there'd be a lot of our listeners that say, well,
surely they can get a bust into town or walk
(07:20):
to town or jog to town and buy their shoes.
Surely it shouldn't be affecting you.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
Well, I mean some people do bust to town and
some people do walk to town or run to town.
But there are other people that live far enough away
where you take where Tate's got his cafe out and Mirrama,
you know, to come to come from Miramar into the city.
I mean a lot of people want to jump in
their car and do that. You know, They've They've got
various different jobs to do, and having their car there
(07:46):
and being able to get around the city from point
A to B two c is important to them.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Tate, are you hearing the same thing? I mean, you're
and I have to emphasize to our listeners that I
would classify you as a young and funky operator. So
you're probably on the green side of things of life.
You probably think that a lot of the things that
were the cycle a way are good. I'm I'm putting
you in a pigeon hole that you might not be
and tell me of rock. So how do you feel
(08:13):
as a businessman?
Speaker 4 (08:14):
Uh, It's been a pretty interesting ride for me personally,
just because you just like you're right, like I have
come from a more green background, just because I am
maybe I don't know young and Funk. Yeah, you know,
I I so, I guess I'm I'm open minded into
hearing what they have to say in terms of these changes,
but I do also have like opinions on it in terms.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Of just give us your opinions. Do you think what
the Council's done to Dixon Street is right? I mean,
it's for your businesses?
Speaker 4 (08:45):
Yeah, I just there's a lot of these things that
are that are the good ideas for city. But I think,
as you mentioned before, it's just just the share number
of people in the CBD. This isn't quite there. Like
I walked down in Cuba Street the other night after
a show from the marcro Fower Center, and the streets
were just packed people walking around. The energy was fantastic,
the vibe was great, and I literally turned to Willy,
(09:05):
my business part I said, you know, this is this
is how the city should feel like at nighttime, and
this is kind of it was kind of like the
goal that we kind of saw that the city could
look like. And it was quite like, you know, exciting
to see and that's what it used to be. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
I agreed. I mean I saw that's how I knew it.
We were the coolest little capital in the world. Yeah, yeah,
for that exactly that thing.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
I agree. Yeah, and so yeah, I have noticed that there.
I just think like the timing on some things are
pretty bad. You know, just coming straight out of COVID,
which was you know, full on for everyone, and then
kind of straight moving into these big ambitious projects just
probably wasn't the quiet the right time to be kind
of trying to do that to businesses, especially coming off
of that pretty rough patch.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
You don't know, life pre COVID really because you started
in twenty nineteen, you know, put the note down, so
that was bang into it.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
Yeah, so we haven't had a smooth oil sailing year
essentially since we've opened that. There has been you know,
a roadbump after the next every year. Each each year
we say to ourselves, all right, this could be the
year where it finally gets better and then you know,
and then the recessions on the way or like that.
So it's been it's been pretty pretty it's been a
(10:18):
pretty wild ride. But I guess the positive thing for
us is that we are young, and you know, because
they haven't been in the industry for a very long time.
I've still got the energy to fight it through for it. Yeah,
whereas you know, I can completely understand if you've been
doing this for a while.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Stop looking at me where you say that you'd be
doing it for a while and you look at the
bit tide and they were born out. They'll be kicked
around a bit. Time to give up, young guy take over.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
But it's young for the hard, hard person to get
into into it right now as well, you know, so
it's it's just a hard kind of overall, it's just
hard for everyone.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Today we have Tate Burge and Hamish French take owns swimsuit.
Now a lot of you probably have been to a
swimsuit cafe. They're kind of like that you boys on
the block, Him and William. They are the new sort
of in crowd with coffee and the shoe clinic. One
of you doing anything to do with running, you would
have run into Hamos Sprench over the years, or you
(11:11):
would have brought your shoes from shoe clinic because they
are the ones that actually it's the fitting the councilor something.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
What is it putting the fitting right or the fitting choice?
Speaker 3 (11:18):
The fitting choice? Yes, I should have got that one day.
That's abtus. I just want to quickly finish off with
what Tate had said. Hamers shoul give you the opportunity
to speak about that about whether the change in the
CBD is too soon, because you said some interesting comments
when we're off here that you thought that they might
be sort of moving too quickly.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (11:39):
I just felt that after COVID we all just needed
to be able to settle down and get back into
what we do and not have to worry too much
about these major changes that were getting proposed, especially for
downtown Wellington.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
It really just felt like.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Are you worried about the Golden Mile?
Speaker 4 (11:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Yeah, I am. There's no doubt about it.
Speaker 5 (12:01):
I think most retailers of it, and most hospitality people
that I've certainly spoken to.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Ah.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
So you see, every time I have the mayor on
the show, I say to her, and you know I
come from a hospitality background, I say to her, everyone's worried,
and she goes, you're the only one that's worried. Nick.
Speaker 5 (12:19):
We'll put it this way, Nick, no one's ever come
in to shoe clinic and asked us our thoughts on it.
And we've been in Wellington now since nineteen ninety eight,
and I've never had one person from a council perspective
ever asked our opinion one on one. Certainly we've been
invited to some of the meetings that they do to
consult with retail and hospitality, but again that's always felt
(12:44):
like our decisions often already been made.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Ty. Does anyone from the council come in and said
to you, we're going to put board walks down here,
and we're going to get rid of these toilets, and
we're going to make this the coolest place.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
Yeah. I mean it's been interesting because that the outer
park has been a pretty hot topic over the last few.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
Years, and it's definitely cleaned upper.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
Yes, it's sad, this moment definitely comes.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
It's still got as good as what it looks now.
Speaker 5 (13:10):
Is it.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
It just comes in waves a bit with that with
that park. But essentially, yeah, so can you just what
we what was a question.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Again about whether someone from the council had told you
about what changes? Did you know about the changes?
Speaker 4 (13:23):
We didn't know about some of them. Yeah, it wasn't
too much of getting you wasn't as much discussion around it. Yeah,
But I mean, I think because we are in that
park area and there is a lot of kind of
hate on it. In a way, we do find out
a bit of stuff because we are, I guess a
stakeholder in that area, a big stakeholder.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
You take you guys away from there and then you've
got a couple of bars and that's about it.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
Yeah, I mean if we were you know. And that's
the thing with these situations is that it is you know,
we we are here to provide a nice experience and
find a nice space for people to hang out in.
But if that goes, you know, then that space is
is going to become deallic. So I think that as
a case of having a work back the council. You know,
it's a it's a when when you know you want
a good operator in there, but the council needs to
work with you to be able to make the space.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
Do you feel that they do that. I'm really interested
because you are in what I call and I don't
want to say it over say it, but you're you
up and comers. So if they're not talking and dealing
and trying to help you get going, what are they doing? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (14:20):
Well, I think recently they've actually had a new I
think the councils realized recently that they're not getting along
with the business community very well. So they've put this
new person and his name is Park and he's kind
of been the middleman between business and council, and I
think it's because he's got a good experience in retail
in this past. So in terms of that, there has
(14:44):
been more communication coming out with things, and I think
it's just solid because the council has recognized that they
weren't doing well to communicate, so they've actually employed someone
that has that knowledge and can talk to business people
in a way which I think is quite more productive.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Right Homishild, Have they talked to you, No, because they
think you're okay, you're rich and old, successful, And.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
I have no idea.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
You'd have to ask them that. But you know, we
certainly haven't heard from them. And again going back to
probably you know, the days of Kerry Prendergast or fran
Wilde or Mark Blumsky, we certainly did back undred consulted
a lot and meetings and afternoon teas and so forth
over at the council to discuss what was happening in
(15:31):
local retail, what was happening and what our thoughts were
so back, do.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
You miss that?
Speaker 4 (15:36):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (15:36):
Yeah, absolutely, those those those were constructive meetings, you know, like.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
It's almost like asking your opinion.
Speaker 5 (15:43):
Before necessarily solved the problems of the world. But at
the same time, at least you felt you're involved.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
Did you feel that? And I interrupted, which I'm Rudio
apologized for. Do you did you feel that they were
consulting with you before decisions were made?
Speaker 2 (15:56):
It certainly felt like that.
Speaker 5 (15:58):
And maybe again, you know, my maybe my memory is
a wee bit vague, but it certainly felt like that
back in those days.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
I went to a meeting recently, just on that note,
where it was about the conditions of the street around
Towder Park and stuff like that. But it was a
meeting where we weren't actually out to say anything. It
was just we essentially got sold, no questions, this is
just dos thing, you know, we we're out with the situation.
And it was yeah, pretty much. Just it was interesting.
(16:28):
It was really interesting because.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
I can't imagine you sitting there and saying nothing, Yes,
I mean yeah, but think well, let's move on from it.
The latest annual Survey Residents Survey, came out about a
fortnight ago. This is where the council grade themselves. They
send out these questionnaires and you say whether they're doing
this or doing that right. Only fifty percent at Wellingtonian
said they have pride in the city. That was down
(16:52):
from eighty two percent in twenty nineteen and CBD safety
was a growing concern. How would you have filled that
question out, Homus.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
I probably would would have agreed that.
Speaker 5 (17:04):
I think I felt that it's definitely getting, for the
better use of the words, starting to get a little
riskier in the city. And as an example, at Chuplinic
we've never really experienced blatant shoplifting, but just only just
only about three weeks ago. One of my staff who
(17:25):
opened the store, she was helping a customer who came
in within the first ten minutes of us being opened.
He was like, I wanted to look at apparel, and
he chose a running jacket and a running T shirt
and a pair of shorts, so pretty much kidding himself
out in a pail and said to her I'll take these.
So they were walking to the counter and she got
(17:47):
behind the counter expecting him to come to the counter
to pay. He literally sprinted off and so when he said,
I'll take these. He actually literally meant I'll take these.
And it's almost like he knew that there's no way
that she was going to be able to chase or
to do anything about it. And so that's, you know,
is five hundred dollars worth of or four hundred dollars
(18:08):
worth of running apparel.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Out the door that you wake your back? Yeah, nothing
you can do about.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
It, Tate, how would you have filled that out? I mean,
would you feel that what you as a well, Antonia
have pride in the city, and do you feel that
the city's hitting in the right direction?
Speaker 4 (18:25):
Yes, I mean I think it's definitely in a bit
of a kind of trough period at the moment with
everything that's going on. I can see the idea, but
it's definitely a long time away. I get to see
the city in a slightly different light where we're in
the CBD at six in the morning, so we kind
of see it when everyone's still asleep, and so it's yeah,
(18:49):
I mean it should be asleep, it should be a
Steve Yeah, But I mean we kind of are in
the situation where the council kind of street team doesn't
start working until a bit later.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
On.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
So the city is looking pretty pretty rough at that time.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Is the still people hanging around?
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Oh yeah, that's kind of the prime time for that
kind of stuff, very early morning. So I mean we
are along by street site for example, I mean we
find syringers out there in the mornings. We can't have
female staff opening by themselves. There has to be a
male And essentially we've been told that we need to
just call the council if you know, they can't get
access to our shop because they've blocked it off or
(19:28):
something like that. But the people at the council don't
start all nine. So we've kind of got this period there.
We're the only the only option we can do is
called the police, which you know, for sometimes all of
us is just waking someone up and saying, can you
please move on?
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Move on?
Speaker 3 (19:41):
But you know, it shouldn't be your place to come
into your business and ask people to move on and
not sometimes they would have done things and that they
shouldn't have done and then.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
Yeah, yeah, and it just makes it you know. I
guess it's a bit like for me, you know, the
impression of the city is when people walk to work
in the morning, and like if the city has gotlander
and stuff all around the place. It's not a nice
feeling city to be walking to working. Whereas if that
stuff's all kind of, you know, tied it up from
the night before, you know that morning things are getting
type of a bit earlier, then I just think that's
(20:11):
going to make the general via with the city nicer
when you're walking to work in the early morning.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Hemus, we were talking about the one in residence survey,
but I always wanted to ask your opinion which comes
from that is the police last week introduced a dedicated
beat police officers in the CBD. The task was simply
just walking around and being present. Have you seen any
of them? Is this a good idea?
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (20:37):
And yes we have seen them and they've been into
store and spoken spoken with staff, and I guess introduced
themselves per se and definitely just walking walking up and
down Willis Street. I'm often walking past them, so yes,
definitely seeing them. And I think it's a positive idea,
(21:00):
especially with some of this crime that is or blatant
crime that's happening around the around the city.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
That's fabulous because I thought the numbers were low, but
if you're seeing them in that prison, then they're asking
questions that to me is old fashioned policing and a
good thing. Take what are you having the same reaction?
Speaker 4 (21:16):
Yeah, Actually, we've we've pretty much overnight seen a difference
in the in the streets. We've seen the police walking
past several times during the day. They've popped in and
said hello as well. So it's just like making our
staff feel, you know, better for themselves at work, because
you know, in the past, when we have had to
call the police for certain situations, you know they're ones
(21:39):
that you need them there soon or us it's not
really much points. So having them there and hopefully able
to get there quicker for certain situations is a great,
great thing, and it does make our staff feel a
lot secure, more secure.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Yeah. Does that with your staff as well?
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (21:56):
I think so, Yes, Yeah, it's definitely. It certainly helps,
I believe, and I think it just gives everyone a
more positive vibe.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
There you go, some positive views. The police are back
out on the streets. I've been calling for for two
and a half or three years on this show, So
that's great. The cats phrase been used by the government
promising things will get easier and better next year is
survived till twenty five? How tough is it? But for
both of you right now and other businesses that you're
talking to, I'll start with you, Hamers. I mean, is
(22:24):
it at a stage where you think this whole survived
till twenty five is a crop of something?
Speaker 5 (22:31):
Well, I guess, I guess time will tell, But certainly
it's very very very hard at the moment, and certainly
in the middle of winter. Now, winter typically for our
type of business is our quieter time. So certainly we're
noticing that at the moment it's tough, and so we're
(22:51):
obviously hoping things like interest rates and so forth are
going to come back over time, and obviously the sooner
that can happen probably the better, because again we are
definitely noticing where people are, where our customers are definitely
being a little bit more weary or aware of what
they're spending as opposed to you know, certainly when interest
(23:14):
rates were lower and and I guess there was more
money in the in the system that people people were
nowhere there as nervous about their spending.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Kate, have you, I mean, you're you're a COVID boy,
so you started before the Heydays of business. So yeah,
but how tough is it right now?
Speaker 4 (23:31):
It's definitely gotten pretty tight for us over winter. Winter
naturally drops off a little bit, but then compounding that
with the just kind of the whole economic kind of
situation that's definitely making people a little bit more kind
of freaked out. And then kind of seeing the weekly
articles of hospitality businesses around the country going under is
definitely not something that's too nice to see every week.
(23:54):
But the positive for us is that we as a
coffee shop, we're like the lowest entry point price wise
into a hospitality experience. So for us, I just have to,
you know, remind myself that people love hospitality and zions
and so that, you know, no matter what, people do
want to go out and have an experience with their
(24:15):
friends or you know whatever. So to have coffee at
that cheaper price point as good, but it also means
we need to be selling a lot more.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Are you seeing something that we're seeing in one of
our particular cafes which we've never seen in the ten
years we've been open. There's people two of them turning
up and actually having two coffees and one scorn and
cutting in half between them, which we've never ever seen before.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
Yeah, yeah, lots of lots of that going on. We
even see people sharing coffees as well, just trying them out. Yeah,
coffee is an interesting one because New Zealands have grown
up with coffee being a in their in their mind's
a need like it's in need, not not a once.
Whereas coffee, especially at somewhere like a swimsuits, it's a
luxury item. And so when we do see the prices
(24:58):
increasing for this luxury item because people assume it's in need,
there's a bit more of a there's a little bit
more of like a kind of buy it back again,
I guess in terms of with a customer facing role.
So yeah, we do see a bit of like negative
feedback when we do put the pricing up. But because
there is more media, I guess, tension on the hospitality.
(25:20):
There is more and more people kind of coming to
the party and saying that our pricing is like good good. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
I want to come back to you on one other thing,
but h I want to ask you, are you seeing
people that would normally buy a Kano like me, that's
my shoe. If I came in there saying can you
give me one that's about fifty dollars cheap. Are you
seeing that now or is it still a specialized product
that everybody wants.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
To buy a little bit.
Speaker 5 (25:44):
Fortunately, Fortunately, running shoe prices haven't changed dramatically a lot
over the years. Like if we go back probably twenty
years ago, a Kano back then was eight to eighty
two ninety retail, whereas now a Kano was three twenty.
So they haven't gone up probably as dramatically as what
(26:05):
other items have. So from that perspective, we still find
that people buying their specialty running shoes and so forth
are well, are prepared to do so, happy to do so.
But definitely arguably the add on sales are getting tougher.
You know, people being a little bit six pack of socks. Yeah,
(26:26):
People getting a little bit more reluctant to add items on,
whether it be a parel or socks and so forth,
because they are aware that the shoes have pretty much
taken up their budget.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
But three twenty for a pair of shoes, which you
need if you're a runner, and I get that totally.
When your interest rates have gone up and your mortgage
has gone up by four hundred a week, you're suddenly
saying to yourself, should do it? Are those shoes going
to get me through for a couple more months?
Speaker 5 (26:49):
And there will definitely be people out there thinking that
there's no doubt about that.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
So I want to just get both of you before
we move on to the next topic. I want to
get both of your thoughts on that survive till twenty five?
Do you think it's a good catchphrase? Should we be
adhering to it or shall we to be taking it
with a grain of salt?
Speaker 2 (27:05):
Well?
Speaker 5 (27:05):
I hope they're right survived till twenty five. You know,
we're nearly two twenty five now, So if that, if
everything's going to get more positive from twenty twenty five,
then then the catchphrase maybe is appropriate.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
But well, time will tell on that.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
Yeah, I mean I was doing the survived till twenty
four situation. Now now we've agreed that we just pushed
out another year, so I'm hoping that we don't have
to push out to twenty six.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
I was skidding. I was still on the get through COVID. Yeah, yeah,
how long can we keep going? That's the whole thing,
survived till twenty five? I don't like it. Transport minister
is saying he's going to crack down on excessive traffic management,
road closures and cones around our city. Come on, take
tell me how big a problem are cones around our city?
(27:51):
And Shi Street's been closed off for it? Can you
notice it?
Speaker 4 (27:55):
Yeah? Business, I mean yeah, we've had plenty of roadworks
happening around both Rombard Street and Dickston Street sites. The
currently they've clos off Wayfood Street, so no traffic coming
up there for Lombard so we have noticed a pretty
big drop off in trade for that site. And then
just when we were they were doing the broad Walk
(28:17):
and stuff like that, the construction was quite full on
in that respect. But yeah, and we don't really know
if there is too much support around those avenues, but yeah,
there's definitely a lot and coming into town in the mornings.
I don't know about on Tananuky Street that's been I've
been changing my way, especially the eastern suburbs that had
the robots going around the bays and in Kolberni and
(28:39):
around the Basin, so it was you couldn't really get
to town anyway quick.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
Well, Hamers you sometimes you have to go through Thornton,
so I would want to be you just now.
Speaker 5 (28:49):
Yeah, No, there seems to be traffic cones everywhere, and
even just coming here this morning, you know again, I
would have gone through four different sets of traffic cones
or cones in my way here, and I don't know,
it just feels like it feels like there's just road
works going on everywhere. You know, no matter where you
(29:11):
go in the city, there is just road works everywhere.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
Is that due to just not being done over the decades.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
Well, that's what they say, but I mean they've been
as for long as I can remember, there's been roadworks
going on at Wellington. So yeah, they can blame it
on eything they want to blame it on. It's always
us old Fellow's faulted it amous we didn't do it
in the years previous to us. That's right, good little
go there, Yeah, take really quickly. Someone really important comes
to Wellington, someone hasn't been to Wellington before. You really
(29:39):
want to impress them, A loved one, a family member,
someone really really important. Hamous, What are you going to do?
How are you going to show off Wellington to them?
Speaker 5 (29:46):
Well typically and that it's going to always be a
nice day when they come to Wellington Neck. I would
definitely take them down to the Oriental Parade sort of area,
the waterfront. I mean, Wellington to me still has an
amazing waterfront and and vibe around around the whole Oriental Parade.
And then at night time I would go to one
of my sort of two go to restaurants on the
(30:08):
eastern side of town definitely Davey and his team at
or Taga And on the other side of town over
closer to where I live, definitely to Ballcott Street Bistro,
sort of my two go tos.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
Great, glad you're still making that sort of money. That's good.
Two very good restaurants, Tate. What are you going to
do with that love one that comes to town?
Speaker 4 (30:28):
Well, you know, naturally, I'll probably take them over to
the Swimsuit and Mrma just because it's just down the
road from the airport and then a view there. Yeah yeah,
but you know, we were very late on our food
out there at the moment, so I would take them
run to the Chocolate Fish around Chully Bay, just because
you know, I really enjoyed the right place. Yeah, yeah,
(30:48):
I went there yesterday. Actually it was great. And then
just I'm also a man about nature, so you know,
you could even take them for a little walk up
up Chully because because the birds pa tore free around there.
And then I'm you know, hospitality background, so I'd try
and take them to all the hospital spots so you know,
and to puffing for a wine. Could even take them
(31:09):
down to Concord for a stake, you know, just just
wine and done.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
So great, well done. Thank you both for coming in.
It was amazing to get your views. Let listen with
Wellington listeners, get your views. And I do feel for Concord.
I mean I have never been there, but I do
feel from closing their way for a stream. Imagine having
a business that you just closed in front of it,
Oh my gosh. And we've got to support our own.
Thank you both for coming in at seven minutes to twelve.
(31:37):
That was taate Urge and Hamous French.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news Talks It'd be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from news Talk Said b your inside word on all
things business in the Capitol with Quinobac, better Systems, better reporting,
better call, quinobeck, oh eight hundred Quinobec.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Let's get down, let's get down to persons. You monnight characters,
you've had a million million night.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Join us for the Business Channel. This week is Swimsuit
Coffee owner Tate Birge take good morning, Good morning, How
are you well?
Speaker 4 (00:41):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
I'm very interested in you because I've heard a lot
about you. Never meet you, but you're kind of like
the new young gun of coffee. You're the Jeff Kennedy
of the twenty twenties, aren't you. I mean, well, it
is a pretty big compliment, but ye are. You've started,
you know with one, two, three little cafes and you've
been doing extremely well and everybody loves your product and
loves you. So that's a good thing, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
Yeah? No, no, no, Yeah, pretty pretty stoked the support
we've been getting in mine to know, it's been been
a pretty wild road.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
But are you a Wellington guy?
Speaker 4 (01:10):
Yeah? I moved here when I was six, So let's
pretty much.
Speaker 3 (01:13):
What college you go to?
Speaker 4 (01:15):
One in college?
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Did you? Yeah, I would have picked out. I would
have picked Onslow or Wellington High. I love doing this
because I think I get it right all the time.
I would have picked Onslow Wellington High.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
That's true. I wasn't on the ballot to get into
one of college, so it was a bit of a
left field. Would have been wrong with I?
Speaker 3 (01:30):
Okay?
Speaker 4 (01:30):
If not?
Speaker 3 (01:31):
All right? Great and the owner of shoe clinic Wellington
and part of the franchise chain that's all over New
Zealand and it's done extremely well. Is Wellington own a
famous French good morning.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Age, Morning, morning neck.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
How are you?
Speaker 5 (01:43):
Yeah, very well, thank you.
Speaker 3 (01:44):
You're looking the prime of health and fitness. So you're
looking like your products. It's come and buy a pair
of shoes and look like me when you're I won't
mention your age, but you must be must be over
thirty now I.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Am slightly over thirty. Our neck of I've been well.
Speaker 5 (01:58):
I met you back in about nineteen ninety one, I
believe when in your excheque footlocker days.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
Well, that's going back a few days. Yeah, we did
do a bit of business. You were with Rebok in
those days.
Speaker 5 (02:09):
I was with Reebok in those days. Yeah, they are huge, Brad, Yep,
they certainly were.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
See Tate would still think rebrokers are still a huge
brand because he's young. So you think it's trendy and
cool rebook where they've got out in the back door,
haven't they?
Speaker 5 (02:21):
Yeah, No, that's they back in those days between the
wars between Reebok and Nike were unbelievable.
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Huge, Yeah, huge.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Right, let's start of the state of the CBD. There's
been a lot of people talking about a big articles
in the paper that there's been talk of businesses shifting
from the CBD to the suburbs because they can get
cheaper rent and more people are working from home spending
their money in the suburbs. Tate, you've got a foot
in both cams. We've already had a couple of texts saying,
you know, Tate will be able to tell us what's
(02:49):
better being in the CBD where there's masses, or being
in the suburbs where you can get regular clientele. How
is the CBD feeling right now when you compare it
to the suburbs.
Speaker 4 (03:01):
CBD is overall it's a little bit a little bit
down at the moment. Definitely, in the last three weeks
we've noticed a pretty sharp drop and sales, but I mean,
you know, we're still still they're doing it. But yeah,
the suburbs has been pretty opening for us in terms
of opening up there. It was I never worked in
(03:22):
Suburbia prior to opening Murama, so it was a bit
daunting for us to do, just because we hadn't had
the experience of working there. But we knew that if
we could bring the speed of a town site to suburbia,
we could potentially do all right, So it's been super
opening for us. Essentially, the rents a lot cheaper out there,
(03:43):
the customers are great.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Can I ask you on a percentage basis because I
think your probably town's a bigger shop. I mean, I'm
just from a customer. I think it is. Tell me
if I'm right or wrong. So compare and I don't
want to know what you're paying in rent, but percentage wise,
what's the difference between your shop and Mirmara and your
shop on Dixon Street.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
We're paying about thirty per cent less less rent and
just it's considerable, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (04:07):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (04:07):
And I mean the space is almost double the format.
We're about forty two square meters in town and that's
about it's about seventy.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
And so I would have thought the opposite way around.
So it shows you how little I know and can
I can I ask you and you don't have to
give this information. I'm not asking dollars and cents, but
percentage wise, what does better?
Speaker 4 (04:28):
I mean, Dickson Street is definitely our busy one that
turns over the most, but in comparison, I would say
Murrama is a pretty solid one for us. Now it's
it's up there in terms of Dickson Street in terms
of just knowing that we're going to turn over this
much each week, and that's just due to the consistency
of the customers coming in. We do notice though that
like that, you know, and the CBD. It used to
(04:50):
be the Friday used to be our busy, busy kind
of day, but that switched to to kind of like
a Thursday.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Now it's Thursday the new Friday.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
And the CBD. I think, yeah, because Mirrama for us,
Monday and Friday the biggest days for us Monday, so.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
They stayed home on the weekends. That Hamish is nodding
his head now Hamish Is in retail in the CBD
Wallis Street. So are you seeing the same thing as
Tate as Friday than Thursday the new Friday and you've
lost those big sales on Fridays?
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Would I would say that it definitely is.
Speaker 5 (05:24):
We notice it, especially when we go to have a
coffee on a Friday morning the cafe that is, you know,
you have to wait five minutes in line to get
a coffee on a Thursday. Literally almost no one in
there on a Friday. So Friday does seem to have
become a work from home day. I haven't noticed it
so much on a Monday, but certainly I would say
(05:46):
that Friday is very much where the city feels empty.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
Are you concerned about the way the direction of the
CBD's going. I mean you have been, You've been there
for twenty odd years. I'm guessing in Willis Street. Are
you concerned? Are you thinking, man, this is this is
starting to be.
Speaker 5 (06:03):
A worry yep, certainly are And And I guess from
a from a perspective of just trying to you know,
it feels like, rightly or wrongly, it feels like the
Council's wanting to get almost people out of the city
with especially with cars cars getting you know that they're
(06:23):
they're reluctant to let there be too much parking in
the city anymore. And frankly, I just don't really understand it.
I personally think that that's probably a model that maybe
works in biggest cities, But Wellington, I think is still
a place where people want to be able to drive
their car, park up and be able to wander around
the city and be able to do their shopping. If
(06:45):
they buy anything reasonably big, they can put it in
their car and head off home.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
I just don't.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
Understand well enough, and maybe I'm a bit naive, but
to me, parking in the city is crucial.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
I think, you see, there'll be a lot of our
listeners and I'll come to you and minitate on this,
but it'll be a lot of our listeners that say,
there are running shoe shop. They specialize on people running.
They don't want you to look good or be call
or tread. You're a runner, you go to shoe clinic.
So there'd be a lot of our listeners that say, well,
surely they can get a bust into town or walk
(07:20):
to town or jog to town and buy their shoes.
Surely it shouldn't be affecting you.
Speaker 5 (07:25):
Well, I mean some people do bust to town and
some people do walk to town or run to town.
But there are other people that live far enough away
where you take where Tate's got his cafe out and Mirrama,
you know, to come to come from Miramar into the city.
I mean a lot of people want to jump in
their car and do that. You know, They've They've got
various different jobs to do, and having their car there
(07:46):
and being able to get around the city from point
A to B two c is important to them.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Tate, are you hearing the same thing? I mean, you're
and I have to emphasize to our listeners that I
would classify you as a young and funky operator. So
you're probably on the green side of things of life.
You probably think that a lot of the things that
were the cycle a way are good. I'm I'm putting
you in a pigeon hole that you might not be
and tell me of rock. So how do you feel
(08:13):
as a businessman?
Speaker 4 (08:14):
Uh, It's been a pretty interesting ride for me personally,
just because you just like you're right, like I have
come from a more green background, just because I am
maybe I don't know young and Funk. Yeah, you know,
I I so, I guess I'm I'm open minded into
hearing what they have to say in terms of these changes,
but I do also have like opinions on it in terms.
Speaker 3 (08:37):
Of just give us your opinions. Do you think what
the Council's done to Dixon Street is right? I mean,
it's for your businesses?
Speaker 4 (08:45):
Yeah, I just there's a lot of these things that
are that are the good ideas for city. But I think,
as you mentioned before, it's just just the share number
of people in the CBD. This isn't quite there. Like
I walked down in Cuba Street the other night after
a show from the marcro Fower Center, and the streets
were just packed people walking around. The energy was fantastic,
the vibe was great, and I literally turned to Willy,
(09:05):
my business part I said, you know, this is this
is how the city should feel like at nighttime, and
this is kind of it was kind of like the
goal that we kind of saw that the city could
look like. And it was quite like, you know, exciting
to see and that's what it used to be. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
I agreed. I mean I saw that's how I knew it.
We were the coolest little capital in the world. Yeah, yeah,
for that exactly that thing.
Speaker 4 (09:27):
I agree. Yeah, and so yeah, I have noticed that there.
I just think like the timing on some things are
pretty bad. You know, just coming straight out of COVID,
which was you know, full on for everyone, and then
kind of straight moving into these big ambitious projects just
probably wasn't the quiet the right time to be kind
of trying to do that to businesses, especially coming off
of that pretty rough patch.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
You don't know, life pre COVID really because you started
in twenty nineteen, you know, put the note down, so
that was bang into it.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
Yeah, so we haven't had a smooth oil sailing year
essentially since we've opened that. There has been you know,
a roadbump after the next every year. Each each year
we say to ourselves, all right, this could be the
year where it finally gets better and then you know,
and then the recessions on the way or like that.
So it's been it's been pretty pretty it's been a
(10:18):
pretty wild ride. But I guess the positive thing for
us is that we are young, and you know, because
they haven't been in the industry for a very long time.
I've still got the energy to fight it through for it. Yeah,
whereas you know, I can completely understand if you've been
doing this for a while.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Stop looking at me where you say that you'd be
doing it for a while and you look at the
bit tide and they were born out. They'll be kicked
around a bit. Time to give up, young guy take over.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
But it's young for the hard, hard person to get
into into it right now as well, you know, so
it's it's just a hard kind of overall, it's just
hard for everyone.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Today we have Tate Burge and Hamish French take owns swimsuit.
Now a lot of you probably have been to a
swimsuit cafe. They're kind of like that you boys on
the block, Him and William. They are the new sort
of in crowd with coffee and the shoe clinic. One
of you doing anything to do with running, you would
have run into Hamos Sprench over the years, or you
(11:11):
would have brought your shoes from shoe clinic because they
are the ones that actually it's the fitting the councilor something.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
What is it putting the fitting right or the fitting choice?
Speaker 3 (11:18):
The fitting choice? Yes, I should have got that one day.
That's abtus. I just want to quickly finish off with
what Tate had said. Hamers shoul give you the opportunity
to speak about that about whether the change in the
CBD is too soon, because you said some interesting comments
when we're off here that you thought that they might
be sort of moving too quickly.
Speaker 2 (11:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (11:39):
I just felt that after COVID we all just needed
to be able to settle down and get back into
what we do and not have to worry too much
about these major changes that were getting proposed, especially for
downtown Wellington.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
It really just felt like.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Are you worried about the Golden Mile?
Speaker 4 (11:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (11:59):
Yeah, I am. There's no doubt about it.
Speaker 5 (12:01):
I think most retailers of it, and most hospitality people
that I've certainly spoken to.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Ah.
Speaker 3 (12:07):
So you see, every time I have the mayor on
the show, I say to her, and you know I
come from a hospitality background, I say to her, everyone's worried,
and she goes, you're the only one that's worried. Nick.
Speaker 5 (12:19):
We'll put it this way, Nick, no one's ever come
in to shoe clinic and asked us our thoughts on it.
And we've been in Wellington now since nineteen ninety eight,
and I've never had one person from a council perspective
ever asked our opinion one on one. Certainly we've been
invited to some of the meetings that they do to
consult with retail and hospitality, but again that's always felt
(12:44):
like our decisions often already been made.
Speaker 3 (12:47):
Ty. Does anyone from the council come in and said
to you, we're going to put board walks down here,
and we're going to get rid of these toilets, and
we're going to make this the coolest place.
Speaker 4 (12:56):
Yeah. I mean it's been interesting because that the outer
park has been a pretty hot topic over the last few.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
Years, and it's definitely cleaned upper.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
Yes, it's sad, this moment definitely comes.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
It's still got as good as what it looks now.
Speaker 5 (13:10):
Is it.
Speaker 4 (13:11):
It just comes in waves a bit with that with
that park. But essentially, yeah, so can you just what
we what was a question.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Again about whether someone from the council had told you
about what changes? Did you know about the changes?
Speaker 4 (13:23):
We didn't know about some of them. Yeah, it wasn't
too much of getting you wasn't as much discussion around it. Yeah,
But I mean, I think because we are in that
park area and there is a lot of kind of
hate on it. In a way, we do find out
a bit of stuff because we are, I guess a
stakeholder in that area, a big stakeholder.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
You take you guys away from there and then you've
got a couple of bars and that's about it.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
Yeah, I mean if we were you know. And that's
the thing with these situations is that it is you know,
we we are here to provide a nice experience and
find a nice space for people to hang out in.
But if that goes, you know, then that space is
is going to become deallic. So I think that as
a case of having a work back the council. You know,
it's a it's a when when you know you want
a good operator in there, but the council needs to
work with you to be able to make the space.
Speaker 3 (14:08):
Do you feel that they do that. I'm really interested
because you are in what I call and I don't
want to say it over say it, but you're you
up and comers. So if they're not talking and dealing
and trying to help you get going, what are they doing? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (14:20):
Well, I think recently they've actually had a new I
think the councils realized recently that they're not getting along
with the business community very well. So they've put this
new person and his name is Park and he's kind
of been the middleman between business and council, and I
think it's because he's got a good experience in retail
in this past. So in terms of that, there has
(14:44):
been more communication coming out with things, and I think
it's just solid because the council has recognized that they
weren't doing well to communicate, so they've actually employed someone
that has that knowledge and can talk to business people
in a way which I think is quite more productive.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Right Homishild, Have they talked to you, No, because they
think you're okay, you're rich and old, successful, And.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
I have no idea.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
You'd have to ask them that. But you know, we
certainly haven't heard from them. And again going back to
probably you know, the days of Kerry Prendergast or fran
Wilde or Mark Blumsky, we certainly did back undred consulted
a lot and meetings and afternoon teas and so forth
over at the council to discuss what was happening in
(15:31):
local retail, what was happening and what our thoughts were
so back, do.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
You miss that?
Speaker 4 (15:36):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (15:36):
Yeah, absolutely, those those those were constructive meetings, you know, like.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
It's almost like asking your opinion.
Speaker 5 (15:43):
Before necessarily solved the problems of the world. But at
the same time, at least you felt you're involved.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
Did you feel that? And I interrupted, which I'm Rudio
apologized for. Do you did you feel that they were
consulting with you before decisions were made?
Speaker 2 (15:56):
It certainly felt like that.
Speaker 5 (15:58):
And maybe again, you know, my maybe my memory is
a wee bit vague, but it certainly felt like that
back in those days.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
I went to a meeting recently, just on that note,
where it was about the conditions of the street around
Towder Park and stuff like that. But it was a
meeting where we weren't actually out to say anything. It
was just we essentially got sold, no questions, this is
just dos thing, you know, we we're out with the situation.
And it was yeah, pretty much. Just it was interesting.
(16:28):
It was really interesting because.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
I can't imagine you sitting there and saying nothing, Yes,
I mean yeah, but think well, let's move on from it.
The latest annual Survey Residents Survey, came out about a
fortnight ago. This is where the council grade themselves. They
send out these questionnaires and you say whether they're doing
this or doing that right. Only fifty percent at Wellingtonian
said they have pride in the city. That was down
(16:52):
from eighty two percent in twenty nineteen and CBD safety
was a growing concern. How would you have filled that
question out, Homus.
Speaker 2 (17:02):
I probably would would have agreed that.
Speaker 5 (17:04):
I think I felt that it's definitely getting, for the
better use of the words, starting to get a little
riskier in the city. And as an example, at Chuplinic
we've never really experienced blatant shoplifting, but just only just
only about three weeks ago. One of my staff who
(17:25):
opened the store, she was helping a customer who came
in within the first ten minutes of us being opened.
He was like, I wanted to look at apparel, and
he chose a running jacket and a running T shirt
and a pair of shorts, so pretty much kidding himself
out in a pail and said to her I'll take these.
So they were walking to the counter and she got
(17:47):
behind the counter expecting him to come to the counter
to pay. He literally sprinted off and so when he said,
I'll take these. He actually literally meant I'll take these.
And it's almost like he knew that there's no way
that she was going to be able to chase or
to do anything about it. And so that's, you know,
is five hundred dollars worth of or four hundred dollars
(18:08):
worth of running apparel.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Out the door that you wake your back? Yeah, nothing
you can do about.
Speaker 3 (18:14):
It, Tate, how would you have filled that out? I mean,
would you feel that what you as a well, Antonia
have pride in the city, and do you feel that
the city's hitting in the right direction?
Speaker 4 (18:25):
Yes, I mean I think it's definitely in a bit
of a kind of trough period at the moment with
everything that's going on. I can see the idea, but
it's definitely a long time away. I get to see
the city in a slightly different light where we're in
the CBD at six in the morning, so we kind
of see it when everyone's still asleep, and so it's yeah,
(18:49):
I mean it should be asleep, it should be a
Steve Yeah, But I mean we kind of are in
the situation where the council kind of street team doesn't
start working until a bit later.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
On.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
So the city is looking pretty pretty rough at that time.
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Is the still people hanging around?
Speaker 4 (19:06):
Oh yeah, that's kind of the prime time for that
kind of stuff, very early morning. So I mean we
are along by street site for example, I mean we
find syringers out there in the mornings. We can't have
female staff opening by themselves. There has to be a
male And essentially we've been told that we need to
just call the council if you know, they can't get
access to our shop because they've blocked it off or
(19:28):
something like that. But the people at the council don't
start all nine. So we've kind of got this period there.
We're the only the only option we can do is
called the police, which you know, for sometimes all of
us is just waking someone up and saying, can you
please move on?
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Move on?
Speaker 3 (19:41):
But you know, it shouldn't be your place to come
into your business and ask people to move on and
not sometimes they would have done things and that they
shouldn't have done and then.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
Yeah, yeah, and it just makes it you know. I
guess it's a bit like for me, you know, the
impression of the city is when people walk to work
in the morning, and like if the city has gotlander
and stuff all around the place. It's not a nice
feeling city to be walking to working. Whereas if that
stuff's all kind of, you know, tied it up from
the night before, you know that morning things are getting
type of a bit earlier, then I just think that's
(20:11):
going to make the general via with the city nicer
when you're walking to work in the early morning.
Speaker 3 (20:16):
Hemus, we were talking about the one in residence survey,
but I always wanted to ask your opinion which comes
from that is the police last week introduced a dedicated
beat police officers in the CBD. The task was simply
just walking around and being present. Have you seen any
of them? Is this a good idea?
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Yes?
Speaker 5 (20:37):
And yes we have seen them and they've been into
store and spoken spoken with staff, and I guess introduced
themselves per se and definitely just walking walking up and
down Willis Street. I'm often walking past them, so yes,
definitely seeing them. And I think it's a positive idea,
(21:00):
especially with some of this crime that is or blatant
crime that's happening around the around the city.
Speaker 3 (21:06):
That's fabulous because I thought the numbers were low, but
if you're seeing them in that prison, then they're asking
questions that to me is old fashioned policing and a
good thing. Take what are you having the same reaction?
Speaker 4 (21:16):
Yeah, Actually, we've we've pretty much overnight seen a difference
in the in the streets. We've seen the police walking
past several times during the day. They've popped in and
said hello as well. So it's just like making our
staff feel, you know, better for themselves at work, because
you know, in the past, when we have had to
call the police for certain situations, you know they're ones
(21:39):
that you need them there soon or us it's not
really much points. So having them there and hopefully able
to get there quicker for certain situations is a great,
great thing, and it does make our staff feel a
lot secure, more secure.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
Yeah. Does that with your staff as well?
Speaker 2 (21:55):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (21:56):
I think so, Yes, Yeah, it's definitely. It certainly helps,
I believe, and I think it just gives everyone a
more positive vibe.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
There you go, some positive views. The police are back
out on the streets. I've been calling for for two
and a half or three years on this show, So
that's great. The cats phrase been used by the government
promising things will get easier and better next year is
survived till twenty five? How tough is it? But for
both of you right now and other businesses that you're
talking to, I'll start with you, Hamers. I mean, is
(22:24):
it at a stage where you think this whole survived
till twenty five is a crop of something?
Speaker 5 (22:31):
Well, I guess, I guess time will tell, But certainly
it's very very very hard at the moment, and certainly
in the middle of winter. Now, winter typically for our
type of business is our quieter time. So certainly we're
noticing that at the moment it's tough, and so we're
(22:51):
obviously hoping things like interest rates and so forth are
going to come back over time, and obviously the sooner
that can happen probably the better, because again we are
definitely noticing where people are, where our customers are definitely
being a little bit more weary or aware of what
they're spending as opposed to you know, certainly when interest
(23:14):
rates were lower and and I guess there was more
money in the in the system that people people were
nowhere there as nervous about their spending.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Kate, have you, I mean, you're you're a COVID boy,
so you started before the Heydays of business. So yeah,
but how tough is it right now?
Speaker 4 (23:31):
It's definitely gotten pretty tight for us over winter. Winter
naturally drops off a little bit, but then compounding that
with the just kind of the whole economic kind of
situation that's definitely making people a little bit more kind
of freaked out. And then kind of seeing the weekly
articles of hospitality businesses around the country going under is
definitely not something that's too nice to see every week.
(23:54):
But the positive for us is that we as a
coffee shop, we're like the lowest entry point price wise
into a hospitality experience. So for us, I just have to,
you know, remind myself that people love hospitality and zions
and so that, you know, no matter what, people do
want to go out and have an experience with their
(24:15):
friends or you know whatever. So to have coffee at
that cheaper price point as good, but it also means
we need to be selling a lot more.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
Are you seeing something that we're seeing in one of
our particular cafes which we've never seen in the ten
years we've been open. There's people two of them turning
up and actually having two coffees and one scorn and
cutting in half between them, which we've never ever seen before.
Speaker 4 (24:36):
Yeah, yeah, lots of lots of that going on. We
even see people sharing coffees as well, just trying them out. Yeah,
coffee is an interesting one because New Zealands have grown
up with coffee being a in their in their mind's
a need like it's in need, not not a once.
Whereas coffee, especially at somewhere like a swimsuits, it's a
luxury item. And so when we do see the prices
(24:58):
increasing for this luxury item because people assume it's in need,
there's a bit more of a there's a little bit
more of like a kind of buy it back again,
I guess in terms of with a customer facing role.
So yeah, we do see a bit of like negative
feedback when we do put the pricing up. But because
there is more media, I guess, tension on the hospitality.
(25:20):
There is more and more people kind of coming to
the party and saying that our pricing is like good good. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
I want to come back to you on one other thing,
but h I want to ask you, are you seeing
people that would normally buy a Kano like me, that's
my shoe. If I came in there saying can you
give me one that's about fifty dollars cheap. Are you
seeing that now or is it still a specialized product
that everybody wants.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
To buy a little bit.
Speaker 5 (25:44):
Fortunately, Fortunately, running shoe prices haven't changed dramatically a lot
over the years. Like if we go back probably twenty
years ago, a Kano back then was eight to eighty
two ninety retail, whereas now a Kano was three twenty.
So they haven't gone up probably as dramatically as what
(26:05):
other items have. So from that perspective, we still find
that people buying their specialty running shoes and so forth
are well, are prepared to do so, happy to do so.
But definitely arguably the add on sales are getting tougher.
You know, people being a little bit six pack of socks. Yeah,
(26:26):
People getting a little bit more reluctant to add items on,
whether it be a parel or socks and so forth,
because they are aware that the shoes have pretty much
taken up their budget.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
But three twenty for a pair of shoes, which you
need if you're a runner, and I get that totally.
When your interest rates have gone up and your mortgage
has gone up by four hundred a week, you're suddenly
saying to yourself, should do it? Are those shoes going
to get me through for a couple more months?
Speaker 5 (26:49):
And there will definitely be people out there thinking that
there's no doubt about that.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
So I want to just get both of you before
we move on to the next topic. I want to
get both of your thoughts on that survive till twenty five?
Do you think it's a good catchphrase? Should we be
adhering to it or shall we to be taking it
with a grain of salt?
Speaker 2 (27:05):
Well?
Speaker 5 (27:05):
I hope they're right survived till twenty five. You know,
we're nearly two twenty five now, So if that, if
everything's going to get more positive from twenty twenty five,
then then the catchphrase maybe is appropriate.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
But well, time will tell on that.
Speaker 4 (27:21):
Yeah, I mean I was doing the survived till twenty
four situation. Now now we've agreed that we just pushed
out another year, so I'm hoping that we don't have
to push out to twenty six.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
I was skidding. I was still on the get through COVID. Yeah, yeah,
how long can we keep going? That's the whole thing,
survived till twenty five? I don't like it. Transport minister
is saying he's going to crack down on excessive traffic management,
road closures and cones around our city. Come on, take
tell me how big a problem are cones around our city?
(27:51):
And Shi Street's been closed off for it? Can you
notice it?
Speaker 4 (27:55):
Yeah? Business, I mean yeah, we've had plenty of roadworks
happening around both Rombard Street and Dickston Street sites. The
currently they've clos off Wayfood Street, so no traffic coming
up there for Lombard so we have noticed a pretty
big drop off in trade for that site. And then
just when we were they were doing the broad Walk
(28:17):
and stuff like that, the construction was quite full on
in that respect. But yeah, and we don't really know
if there is too much support around those avenues, but yeah,
there's definitely a lot and coming into town in the mornings.
I don't know about on Tananuky Street that's been I've
been changing my way, especially the eastern suburbs that had
the robots going around the bays and in Kolberni and
(28:39):
around the Basin, so it was you couldn't really get
to town anyway quick.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
Well, Hamers you sometimes you have to go through Thornton,
so I would want to be you just now.
Speaker 5 (28:49):
Yeah, No, there seems to be traffic cones everywhere, and
even just coming here this morning, you know again, I
would have gone through four different sets of traffic cones
or cones in my way here, and I don't know,
it just feels like it feels like there's just road
works going on everywhere. You know, no matter where you
(29:11):
go in the city, there is just road works everywhere.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
Is that due to just not being done over the decades.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
Well, that's what they say, but I mean they've been
as for long as I can remember, there's been roadworks
going on at Wellington. So yeah, they can blame it
on eything they want to blame it on. It's always
us old Fellow's faulted it amous we didn't do it
in the years previous to us. That's right, good little
go there, Yeah, take really quickly. Someone really important comes
to Wellington, someone hasn't been to Wellington before. You really
(29:39):
want to impress them, A loved one, a family member,
someone really really important. Hamous, What are you going to do?
How are you going to show off Wellington to them?
Speaker 5 (29:46):
Well typically and that it's going to always be a
nice day when they come to Wellington Neck. I would
definitely take them down to the Oriental Parade sort of area,
the waterfront. I mean, Wellington to me still has an
amazing waterfront and and vibe around around the whole Oriental Parade.
And then at night time I would go to one
of my sort of two go to restaurants on the
(30:08):
eastern side of town definitely Davey and his team at
or Taga And on the other side of town over
closer to where I live, definitely to Ballcott Street Bistro,
sort of my two go tos.
Speaker 3 (30:20):
Great, glad you're still making that sort of money. That's good.
Two very good restaurants, Tate. What are you going to
do with that love one that comes to town?
Speaker 4 (30:28):
Well, you know, naturally, I'll probably take them over to
the Swimsuit and Mrma just because it's just down the
road from the airport and then a view there. Yeah yeah,
but you know, we were very late on our food
out there at the moment, so I would take them
run to the Chocolate Fish around Chully Bay, just because
you know, I really enjoyed the right place. Yeah, yeah,
(30:48):
I went there yesterday. Actually it was great. And then
just I'm also a man about nature, so you know,
you could even take them for a little walk up
up Chully because because the birds pa tore free around there.
And then I'm you know, hospitality background, so I'd try
and take them to all the hospital spots so you know,
and to puffing for a wine. Could even take them
(31:09):
down to Concord for a stake, you know, just just
wine and done.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
So great, well done. Thank you both for coming in.
It was amazing to get your views. Let listen with
Wellington listeners, get your views. And I do feel for Concord.
I mean I have never been there, but I do
feel from closing their way for a stream. Imagine having
a business that you just closed in front of it,
Oh my gosh. And we've got to support our own.
Thank you both for coming in at seven minutes to twelve.
(31:37):
That was taate Urge and Hamous French.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills, listen live
to news Talks It'd be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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