HOW LOW CAN YOU GO ?

EB Games Moore Park. Not the most welcoming entrance. Also,this
category in a lot of pain.

JB HI FI REPLACES DICK SMITH

Moore Park, JB Hi-Fi to take place of Dick Smith store, recently vacated.  Perhaps a metaphor for the change in the market ?  Dick Smith has never been strong on content, while JB has.  JB's deals have been recession-relevant, Dick Smith's never quite compelling enough.  It will be interesting to see how JB goes in this location.  I think they will do way better than Dick Smith.

NO FUN IN GAMES

EB Games, Moore Park.  Clearly experiencing pain calls for desperate measures.  The posters, while impactful, do however, obscure the rest of the store, and signal 'going out of business' to customers, who might defer large purchases (potential warranty problems) or defer purchases fullstop to wait for the expected 'closing down' sale.

NOT SO FANTASTIC

Fantastic Furniture, Moore Park.  The POS posters say the deals are 'aMAYzing' - the store looks simply tacky, and covered in wallpaper.  Even customers on a budget have taste .... even in a recession ... and most don't like being 'shouted' at either.

As an aside, the Moore Park SupaCentre seems to be in trouble - at least 4-5 vacancies, and now Dick Smith is closing it's Powerhouse store.

RED HOT

Adairs new season look stands out. Moore Park.

SPLASH

Of iPod colour stands out in dull category. Harvey Norman Moore Park

MINI MAC

New mini Apple dept DSE Moore Park

OUT OF SPACE?

Fast growing Howard's Storage World franchise battles to cope with
deliveries. Moore Park.

PLAYING GAMES ?

Visually cluttered store Moore Park that has commoditised its exciting product.

FREEDOM FOR COUPLES

Moore Park store, Monday lunch-time, a quiet day in the store which is undergoing a major merchandising re-lay, probably to reflect new seasonal stock coming in (autumn look).

It's interesting how couples shop together to reduce the perceived risk of major purchases, typically for the home. Contrast the first vignette where a woman is shopping alone - her body language is quite introspective. Now watch the second vignette - the sales assistant is engaging the woman, but he is clearly pretty disinterested, maybe a bit embarrassed by the discussion about the duvet set. In the third snippet, she asks him if he is worried, but he is leading her into the linen department. All in all different dynamics. What could the retailer do differently to reduce perceived risk for 'blokes' in this situation, or at least increase their comfort levels ? They're a tough audience.

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.

AGGRESSIVE DEAL

From Harvey Norman, Moore Park

A RARE SIGHT

these days - a retailer looking for staff.  Harvey Norman, Moore Park.

PAIN

And distress dilutes brand purity. Normally very tidy presentation. Adairs Moore Park.

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DESPERATE DEALS

Dick Smith Powerhouse Moore Park. Sign of desperation from normally professional operation.

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EYECATCHING DISPLAY

Clever display for Nokia phones with GPS capability.  Dick Smith Powerhouse, Moore Park.  Sets it apart from the crowd in this category.

DESPERATE SALE

A sign of retailer pain to come. Home fabrics shop Moore Park Supa Centa.

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POWER SALE GONE FLAT ?

Dick Smith Powerhouse Moore Park Supa centre. Same sale POS material for last 3 weeks begs question of how to keep 'sale' fresh for customers ? POS signage is strong, attention getting, despite a weak location (upper floor, end of mall).

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