MAJOR TRANS FORMATION

Press, 14 December 1977, Page 36

MAJOR TRANS FORMATION

The Christchurch Duty Free Shop has experienced an extreme transformation over the past few months. It is no longer shoulder to shoulder around the crowded display cabinets. The sales area has tripled, making room for more attractive displays and leisurely browsing for overseas travellers. Christchurch saw the opening of its first duty free shop on the comer of Gloucester and Colombo Strets on April 1, 1968. Occupying a comer of the State Theatre building, the shop then covered 82.8 sq. m (900 sq. ft) and offered about 1000 items. Last week' the Christchurch Duty Free Shop opened an expanded complex covering 276 sq. m (3000 sq. ft) with a range of 5000 items. In 10 years, their catalogue has grown from a four-page brochure to a 50page booklet. The new complex, on the former State Theatre premises, has been built in seven

months at a cost of $300,000. Plans have been underway since the end of 1974, when International Importing, Ltd, holders of the city’s duty free licence, bought the State Theatre building. Construction on the new complex began in April this year, when the theatre’s lease expired. According to the managing director of International Importing (Mr J. A. Schneideman), it is now the largest and most comprehensive duty free complex in the Southern Hemisphere. The Christchurch Duty Free Shop now operates on three levels. The ground floor, the area occupied by the Duty Free Shop since 1968, has been lengthened by 6m (20ft). Displays on this floor include photographic equipment, perfume, cosmetics, watches, jewellery, shavers, pens and knitwear. A stairway leads to the mezzanine floor which houses sound equipment. Here customers can lei-

surely browse through displays of transistor radios, portable tape decks and stereo systems. The main feature of this area is a computerised sound system which allows a customer to hear different combinations of turntables, amplifiers and speakers, simply by pushing a button. Switching units from Akai, Sony, Technics and Sanyo have been installed. On the upper floor is a comprehensive range of porcelain figurines from Spain, Italy, Denmark and Germany. A wide selection of leather goods, toys and sporting equipment from all over the world is also displayed on this floor. At the back of the complex is the “Canterbury Room,” which houses three shops selling Tew Zealand products. They are The Three Paddies, with gifts and souvenirs, Westside Galleries, specialising in New Zealand paintings, and The Hide Shop, whicji sells sheepskins and fur products. The architects, Warren

and Mahoney designers of the Christchurch Town Hall, are responsible for the design of the new complex. Their aim in the exterior design of the building was to give a 1977 appearance to a 1930’s structure. They also wanted to create a design complementary to that of the D.M.S. building on the opposite comer of Colombo Street, which they also contrived. The modem look has been achieved with 9-metre (30ft) fibre-glass panels, set off by a strip of mosaic tiles. The exterior transformation of the old State Theatre took about a month. The entire interior of the theatre had to be demolished, and it took one-and-a-half months to prepare the inside for reconstruction. The State Theatre has undergone such a radical facelift, it is difficult to believe that the duty free complex is housed in a building more than 40 years old.