THE SHOPS OF A TOWN

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXII, Issue 12527, 12 April 1935, Page 2

THE SHOPS OF A TOWN

INDEX TO DEVELOPMENT

NOTED STORE-PLAN NEE’S VIEW

Of late years the shopping Incfilities oL the public have changed considerably and now there lias Si own up a. near profession —that/ of storeplanner. lie must have a keen eye to the class of business in which the shop is interested, to display, to lighting and abovo all to the Psychology of the public. In the early days when shops were few the public had no choice and went to the shops; nowadays tho shops must attract the customer. Out of this changed factor, therefore, has grown , the profession of store planning, and) one of the exponents in the new art is Mr Thomas C. Clarke, of Auckland and well known throughout Australia. Mr. Clarke, who is now in Gisborne in connection with the remodelling of Messrs A. St on eh am and Co’s jewellery establishment, in the course of a chat with a Times reporter, throw a new light on the 1 shopping conditions of today. Tho progress 01; development of any town or c-it-y lie said lies entirely in the hands of its business leaders and it must begin with an awakening to the importance of lifting the standards of retniL efficiency to a maximum degree. This achieves pride of possession on the part of the people of retail services of which they a,re priced,; . and that faotoir ifepresoints tho greatest aid tO' the encouragement of spending locally. In actual fact, it, is the degree of regardi in which the people of any community hold their shopping services that is an inejex to the development of the town His decision to make his home m New Zealand, he said, is explained in the fact that the Dominion’s programme, which wifi include the modernisation of numerous ,retfa.il services throughout the country* lies ahead of it. His presence in New Zealand merely a contribution assisting in the rehabilitation of the building trade. The work he was doing, ho said, is reflecting fit-self in many centres, from Invercargill to Whangarei, whero there arc evidences of Ins activities. Two of tho finest examples .of hi. 9 work n,r/o fifii the Hawse’s Bay district. Messrs Blythe’S of Napier and Messrs Westormann’s of Hastings. That more work follows tho reconstruction of business premises is no theory; it is well borne out by fact. At Invercargill, for instance, when bo was called to report- on tlie transformation of a, oig, business promises, not a single job of any magnitude was proceeding. Inspiring tho decision of the principals to proceed on a well considered remodelling scheme which ran to between £BOOO and £9000; .was i responsible for the immediate employment localiy of 43 men on more or less fuS. time over a period of four months. That example has since inspired quite a number of other retail business people to move in a similar direction, and it is it fact that during the past year Invercargill is reputed to be from a building point- of view, the most- active town in New Zealand. "A, second example,” said Mr. Clarke, ‘is at Whangarei where my activities have inspired four leading firms to embark upon equally important undertakings, bringing their premises into line with the shoppers’ requirements of today. This will represent in the aggregate an expenditure of approximately £4OOO, which will mean employment and money in circulation.”