The Swing in Summer

Rebel Sport, Bondi Junction.  Good to see more colour in the Rebel Sport stores where black and white have historically been dominant - in my view overly dominant.  Over and above the obvious summer seasonal focus on swimwear, this style of advertising seems to suggest a swing towards summer outdoor lifestyle.  It will be really interesting to see how far they take this - will they get into Kathmandu and Anaconda territory ? - and how they go.

ANACONDA - THE GRASS ON THE SNAKE

Anaconda recently opened a huge new store at Moore Park to huge fanfare. The Shoppologist cruised through there on a Monday lunch-time. The store was predictably quiet.

The huge barn-like atmosphere shouts range and low price but lacks ambience and theatre. The no-frills features like concrete floors and high stud lights reinforce the low price proposition. The wooden check out and service counters are a bit hokey, as are the staff members' vests.

However, I found the staff member I encountered friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.

The advertising is of the unfortunately ubiquitous 'shouting deal' variety.

This is undoubtedly a destination if you are looking for any camping or outdoor leisure gear, a traditional category killer model - they feel a bit like the Super Cheap Auto of camping, which is ironic as that business has its own BCF (Boating, Camping, Fishing) large format business.

It will be a haven to blokes looking for a male-friendly environment, but a turn-off to those looking for a more engaging shopping experience.