Francesca Rudkin: It's the end of an era for two classic Kiwi brands
This week marks the end of an era for two classic Kiwi brands - department store Smith & Caughey’s announced it will shut their doors for the last time at 4pm today, and hosiery manufacturer Columbine that they’re closing their Gisborne factory in August.
These are both sad events. Smith & Caughey’s has been part of Queen St for 145 years, and Columbine has kept me in opaque tights for as long as I can remember, and others for longer before! But the news was hardly shocking.
Manufacturing in New Zealand has become increasingly challenging and costly over decades. Retail has been transformed…
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