It has been forty three years in coming and today it finally arrived. Myer opened at Forest Hill Chase where our newsagency is located. Some say this brings the respect the centre deserves.
Myer has taken the space formerly occupied by Harris Scarfe and while they are a reasonable department store, the Myer brand counts for more. All day the centre has been crowded, long before Hamish and Andy and Jennifer Hawkins arrive to bless our good fortune. Here is the crowd from earlier today outside Myer:
Up a level and at our corner of the centre, far away from Myer, we have been enjoying Christmas like crowds. The boost is most welcome following five months of poor traffic due to major construction all around us.
I guess what is interesting to me the most about the arrival of Myer is the talk of people – shoppers and people working in the centre – about Myer adding respectability as some call it to the centre. The morale boost among shoppers and store owners is bound to have a good knock-on effect for all businesses in the centre. we can’t wait! And all before Christmas! Between now and then a bunch of national brands new to the centre will arrive.
Being in a major centre leaves small businesses, such as newsagencies, at the mercy of the strategies of the leasing manager and the major tenants. No matter how hard a small business markets itself, it is difficult to overcome challenges of the location and the tenant mix. At Forest Hill at least we are looking at the best of times in our eleven years so far.