Latest / Best of Business / Murray Crane: Crane Brothers founder on the store extending their High Street lease

Transcript

Murray Crane: Crane Brothers founder on the store extending their High Street lease · Best of Business

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: You're listening to a podcast from News Talk zed B.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: iHeartRadio Now.
• 0:17
  Speaker 2: While other retail stores are turning their backs on Aukan CBD,
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: Crane Brothers is doubling down on its commitment to the
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: city's high street. So last year Crane Brothers announced they
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: would extend their High Street least for another twenty five years.
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: Now they've committed to expanding the store because Ruby, the
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: store that was beside them, has gone, so they thought, right, oh,
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: we can double the size of the store. So Murray
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: Crane is joining me now and good morning to you.
• 0:40
  Speaker 3: Murray morning Andrew.
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: How are you very good? Loving the way you're calling
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: for positivity for our CBD. Why are you doing that.
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: Well?
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: Because we have too, would be the basic reason. I
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: think after a fairly torrid time with well COVID hate
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: to mention that word, but that's where things really started
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: to probably go off track a little bit, where you
• 1:07
  Speaker 3: had fairly challenging time, as any business in the central
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: city did. And then the recovery has probably been a
• 1:16
  Speaker 3: little bit slower than a lot of people would have
• 1:18
  Speaker 3: liked for a variety of different reasons and I think
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: we need to control the narrative because there's no point
• 1:25
  Speaker 3: of being negative about it, or else we're never going
• 1:27
  Speaker 3: to really get anywhere.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: I think the concept that people haven't realized is that
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: Ucland has changed and that the retail areas have moved
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: and they've moved down closer to the water, and they've
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: left Midtown and places like High Street where you've been
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: in and until, of course development happens Midtown and High
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: Street with the owners actually fixing up the buildings and
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: making the spaces better and the CRL turning up, then
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: your area will be not as booming as it used
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: to be.
• 1:57
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I think the High Street's a little bit of
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: an anomaly. It does still have a vibrant sea and
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: there's still a lot of new businesses opening in that area.
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: I think the very nature of that kind of precinct
• 2:10
  Speaker 3: within the city is that it always has quite a
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: high turnover of businesses. Due to the way the rentals
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: are structured, it's obviously cheaper than for a lot of
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: businesses to enter than going on too Queen Street of
• 2:24
  Speaker 3: going into Britain Marte or Commercial Base. So there's always
• 2:27
  Speaker 3: kind of an entrepreneurial spirit there of people that are
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: prepared to try something new. The dynamic has definitely moved
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: more towards, of course food and entertainment precinct. But we're
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: seeing that kind of all over the world anyway.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: So what's happening in Orkands happens, as you quite rightly say,
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: all over the world. Is it a cesspit of crime
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: and homelessness and danger or was that overhyped?
• 2:52
  Speaker 3: I think it has been over hyped by the media
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: a lot. I think there's been a very negative kind
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: of dialogue around that. I mean, obviously it has been
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: an issue as it is in any major city, and
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: we have seen a lot of progress in that area,
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: especially over the last year, with more focus back on
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: the kind of CBD safety. I would say, but look,
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: I'm there every day, six days a week, and it's
• 3:23
  Speaker 3: very rarely that we'll see any element that is more
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: dangerous and more threatening than you would see in any
• 3:32
  Speaker 3: big kind of CBD anywhere in the world, including other
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: cities in New Zealand.
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: So well, this is right. This is not an Awkard problem,
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: even though it's been made out to be an Awkand problem.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: We've got the same problem in Wellington with the Golden
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: mile which has had diminishing returns because of course we
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: now have shopping malls in the suburbs, so why come
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: into town. We're seeing the same thing in christ Church
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: where the town moved to Rickitton for a bit and
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: now they're trying to get people to move back in.
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: What is the secret to getting people back into a CBD.
• 4:01
  Speaker 3: Well, I think it starts with, you know, hopefully the
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: things that we do, small, small things that we do
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: well every day. Just make making sure that your business
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: is as well presented, well maintained, that you've got an
• 4:13
  Speaker 3: interesting message, a good product, and just a positive attitude.
• 4:18
  Speaker 3: I think that goes a long way. I think people
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: respond to that and more and more now that we're
• 4:27
  Speaker 3: seeing we've seen such a kind of migration to online shopping.
• 4:31
  Speaker 3: I think we're starting to see a new generation of
• 4:34
  Speaker 3: shoppers now that don't really want that experience. They want
• 4:37
  Speaker 3: a more unique, hands on experience, not a homogenized kind
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: of retail experience, which which mauls and online kind of offer.
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: They they've kind of merged into one in a way.
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: Well, you see, Murray, I love your store. I love
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: your store because you do high end close you're in
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: the legal district as well. There's the lawyers there who
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: are having to get their suits and their proper shirts,
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: and it's looking good. I love how tidy your shop is.
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: I love the modernist furniture that you have in it,
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: I love the clothes. You're in the right position and
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: you've got the right attitude and I only wish you
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: the best of black.
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: Thanks Andre, all the best.
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: For more from News Talk st B, listen live on
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.