A new store, a new type of service

Press, 6 May 1980, Page 29

A new store, a new type of service

The largest tenant of the new shopping precinct, Millers, Ltd, is also the first. Millers has been trading as usual at the Lichfield Street entrance to Cashfields during the alterations and as con- -. s t r u c t i o n progressed, found itself working in, around, over and through the builders and their equipment. The firm’s new secondfloor premises, occupying 848 sq m, or 9000 sq ft, of floor space, allows it to spread out in comfort after many months of cramped conditions. The nature of the shop has not changed with the move — Millers will continue to specialise in dressmaking and furnishing fabrics and manchester goods, with an emphasis on providing good quality at a good price. More titan

50 years experience in this field and a first-hand knowledge of world textile markets allow Millers to import directly fro overseas manufacturers, passing the savings on to the customer. With branches in Invercargill, Dunedin, Ashburton and Bishopdale, as well as the central city shop, Millers can take advantage of bulk buying concessions to keep prices down. The new shop will enable many improvements in merchandising and display, making use of the increased floor space to let customers have a good look at what they are buying. A feature of the shop is a specially designed lighted panel which will be used to display curtaining fabrics as they would appear in natural

light. The idea is one which Mr R. B. Miller, the managing director of the company, saw during- a tour of the textile capitals of the world earlier this year. This method of display is popular overseas as a way of showing a variety of different fabric types to assist the customer in visualising the full qualities of the finished drape. As furnishings become a more important aspect of the business, Millers’ customer service increases to meet the demand. A new service which has already proved most successful is called “Dial-a-Curtain” and involves a professional consultant who travels with a mobile display van. bringing hundreds of fabric samples to the customer's home. The consultant will arrange

i the measuring. making ! and hanging of the drape.. ; of the customer’s choice. i ‘ ‘ D i a 1-a-Curtain” has ; been greeted with such en- : ,thusiasm that there arc plans for a second mobiledisplay unit to service the country areas surrounding the city. i Mr Miller expects that his firm will again lead the home furnishing field in Canterbury with the arrival of a pinch-pleating machine, the first to be brought to the province, > next month. Pinch-pleating of drapes, a process which gives an elegant oleated effect, previously had to be done by hand and incurred great expense to i the customer. The new, machine" is expected to halve the cost of pinch--i pleating, allowing it to be : used in a wider range of situations.