The new breed of cash cow
Pet retail is worth well north of $1 billion per year. Sarah Dunn speaks with Animates NZ general manager Tanya Houghton about the enormous growth of pet retail, and her journey into it.
A financial turn for the worse
The economic outlook has taken on a gloomier hue, with dairy prices plunging. Columnist Felix Delbruck, a senior economist at Westpac, examines how the economic and financial environment has changed over the past few months.
Trendwatch: Home on the free range
Factory farms do terrible things to chickens. So do chefs, but crucially, in the latter case, the chickens are dead. When the brood of former battery hens I rescued earlier this year were delivered, they looked fully oven-ready – featherless, and so low in energy
Nelson-made eco-bags being snapped up by shoppers
Plastic bag waste has been a hot topic in New Zealand this year, with the Government recently investing more than $1 million towards recycling them with big name retailers like Countdown and New World. Now, a company called The Green Collective wants to take plastic
New Zealand’s new banknotes launch today
Retailers and banks have begun circulating The Reserve Bank’s new-look $5 and $10 notes from today, but they might not be in the hands of the public for some weeks.
Freedom Kids wants children to wear whatever they like
Rachel Hansen and her husband Leif launched their ecommerce site Freedom Kids last Monday to help children break free from heavily-gendered clothing. Everything on the site is made under ethical manufacturing conditions, and targeted at both girls and boys – including the dresses.
Loyalty – why you’re doing it wrong
Loyalty schemes are an ever-present aspect of retail in New Zealand. Antony Ede, who is head of data analytics at consumer demand agency TRA, explains why many Kiwi retailers are getting their loyalty schemes wrong.
Wellington retail on the up and up as vacancy rates fall
Good news for the capital: vacancies are falling and bulk retail is expanding within Wellington’s retail sector. The CBD’s vacancy rate has hit 7.7 percent, a drop of 230 points from 2014.
Remember, remember the 5th of November
In my family, Guy Fawkes competes with Christmas as the biggest retail event of the year. My younger brother saves up hundreds of dollars during the preceding months so that he can defensively stock up on sparklers, fountains, spinning wheels, roman candles and various other
There’s luxury Christmas presents, and then there’s Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus is famed for its outlandish Christmas gifts which can only be afforded by the highest-earning ‘one percent’, and this year’s haul is no different. It includes motorcycles built and designed by Keanu Reeves, ‘Neiman Marcus Mustangs’, expensive holidays and balloon rides.