trader’s newsletter CAMBERWELL TRADERS ASSOCIATION NEWS
CamberwellShopping camberwellshops CamberwellShoppingAU
AUTUMN 2016
IN THIS ISSUE Dine In Dine Out - Camberwell Food Month Fashion And Beauty - Autumn/Winter 2016
CamberwellShops
The New Camberwell Shopping Website
camberwellshopping
2016 Marketing Calendar
President’s Letter Hi fellow traders and professionals, Welcome to a new year and I hope you all enjoyed Christmas with family and friends. We can now look back and analyse our businesses for the first half of this financial year which, on the retail side, was very much a mixed result. There is no doubt that Melbourne CBD has taken business from the shopping strip, with excellent results reported from their retail association. The new Emporium Melbourne, laneway strategies and non-stop events have driven most of the movement. Camberwell, like many other retail strips, has a higher-than-usual vacancy rate of 9 per cent – the highest in 15 years, with some big brands closing stores. After talking with real estate agents, they have said that they are struggling to fill current empty shops and office space. The days of “key money” are gone, with pop-ups being the only way to fill some space. The positive side of this is that it has resulted in reduced rent in both retail and office spaces. This should encourage more small and boutique stores to the precinct which will appeal to the shifting demographics of the area.
With more than 1000 apartments planned to be built within 2kms of the precinct (some already complete) we are confident that this will drive more people to the shopping area. However, it is more important than ever for both the Camberwell Centre Association and you to promote what’s on offer here. We have a new marketing campaign in the pipeline, which will target both locals and those outside the area, focused on promoting the range of businesses, retailers and professional services in Camberwell. A “shop local” campaign will also be used to great extent and help activate our laneways. Remember to tell us about your promotions and offers so we can share them through the Camberwell Shopping website and social media, giving you advertising to people who may not be your existing customers. Also, be sure to join us at our regular networking events so we can meet face-to-face and keep in touch. All the best, Henk Kelly-Kobes President, Camberwell Centre Association.
Marketing Levy Update The marketing levy renewal process is going well, thanks for your support. Most Camberwell businesses recognise the value of the marketing levy. They see that the collective marketing of the shopping and business precinct, a well managed website, social media, promotions and cleaning graffiti benefits their business, staff and the community. By keeping the percentage of the CIV (Capital Improved Value) the same since 1996 (0.05%) and having maximum and minimum amounts, we are pleased to say that the majority of businesses will be charged the same or less than previous years and 90% will be paying less than the cost of one 1/2 page ad in the local media.
Camberwell Food Month August is food month in Camberwell and we’ll celebrate with our Dine In Dine Out event which promotes local restaurants, cafes, eateries and food stores. Get Involved If you run a food business in Camberwell this is an excellent opportunity to capitalise on activities and promotions that will take place in August. You can create your own food-related event or promotion in-store to be part of the food month which will be complimented by Dine In Dine Out’s major advertising efforts. This activity is designed to bring more people to Camberwell to experience and enjoy food and is an easy way for you to drive ‘bums to seats’ or ‘dollars to your till’.
What are you going to do? Here are some suggestions: ✓✓ Food and wine/beer matching menu ✓✓ Degustation menu ✓✓ Themed dinner – e.g. pasta night/ paella/ seafood/fancy dress ✓✓ Entertainment – offer music or belly dancing at your eatery ✓✓ Fixed price dinner or lunch – for the month of August, on set days or times etc ✓✓ Special guest – feature a chef, sommelier or author at your business ✓✓ Sales offer – sell a particular product, dish or meal deal at a special rate in August. Dine In Dine Out’s opening weekend will be held on Saturday, August 6 and Sunday, August 7. All stores can tap into this community event, with many shoppers and local families coming along for free entertainment, tastings and other related activities. To get involved, please contact Kerry Daly via email: info@camberwellca.com.au
Fashion And Beauty Autumn/ Winter 2016 For the upcoming Autumn/Winter 2016 season we will highlight Camberwell’s fashion and beauty brands and shops via digital marketing activity. To get involved, please send your marketing materials including new season images, lookbooks and sales information to Kerry Daly via email: info@camberwellca.com.au Camberwell’s fashion and beauty website StyleJunction.com.au was created to share information about seasonal style with a focus on local shops. The website will house fashion and beauty articles, photos, lookbooks and sales information. We have fashion journalists to create content aimed at people looking for style advice. To get involved, please send us your new season images, stories, style profiles, sales and offers and we can post them on the website. Digital advertising will drive people to this website so be sure to take part to get your brand in front of their eyes. As part of this promotion, there will be a competition where people tell us about their favourite seasonal look to go in the running to win $1000 to spend in Camberwell. Be sure to tell your customers about the competition to encourage entries. Visit StyleJunction.com.au
Camberwell Shopping Website Update repeat users visiting the site. The Traders Directory continues to be the website’s most popular page, with Fashion, Fresh Food and Dining, and Gifts and Homewares being the strongest categories for January. The number of email newsletter subscribers has increased by 183 sign ups over the past five months.
The Camberwell Shopping website continues to grow and attract new readers each month. The website underwent an upgrade and relaunched in September 2015. The upgrade made improvements to the website’s functionality and design, and allowed for the publication of richer content including news articles and features, events and promotions taking place in Camberwell. The website is now also optimised for viewing on mobile devices, tapping into the 58% of our audience who connects here. We’ve also added an offers section allowing us to post unique trader specials and integrate offers and articles with trader listings on the website. Be sure to let us know about events and promotions you are running to take advantage of this great resource. The Camberwell Shopping website has provided a great platform to not only promote the Camberwell shopping precinct but also strengthen the brand. Since it’s relaunch in September 2015, the website has attracted more than 38,500 unique visitors and 90,000 page views, meaning there are plenty of
Camberwell Parking Would you like to voice your thoughts about parking in Camberwell? Whether it’s more long term parking, parking bays for Camberwell staff or council enforcing meters on a Sunday, tell us how this affects your business. Plans are also in place to bring off-street weekend parking inline with Monday to Friday restrictions.
Direct email enquiries via the Camberwell Shopping website has been steadily increasing as more customers find our individual trader pages through Google searches. Therefore, it is vital that all traders provide accurate contact information for us to link to this page, including their business address, phone number and email. Please visit camberwellshopping. com.au/traders-directory to view your listing and contact Kerry if any changes or additions are required. The most popular web searches for individual traders on our website throughout January included: ✓✓ Minimax (554 visits) ✓✓ Rivoli After Hours Medical Centre (273 visits) ✓✓ Nike Camberwell (191 visits) ✓✓ Great Earth Discount (159 visits) Our readers have shown a keen interest in our regular ‘Meet a Trader’ articles, which profile independent and unique traders in the Camberwell shopping precinct and share stories about their business. This has been part of our strategy to create original content that personalises Camberwell and the traders at the heart of the shopping precinct. Visit the site: camberwellshopping.com.au
What do you think? ✓✓ Let council know via: Boroondara@boroondara.vic.gov.au Subject line - Camberwell Parking ✓✓ Complete our survey so we can represent the majority of traders on this issue: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Camberwellparking
Marketing Calendar
Networking Events
What’s happening this year?
Meet other traders, professionals and community members to share ideas and issues.
FEBRUARY ✓✓ Valentine’s Day – a competition to win dinner and a movie at the Rivoli Cinema for two. MARCH ✓✓ Fashion and beauty Autumn/Winter 2016 – online promotion at StyleJunction.com. au including style articles, lookbooks and a competition.
✓✓ Easter promotions and activities including the annual Easter Egg Hunt and online competition to win prizes.
Trader And Business Forums Guest speakers and topics will be posted on CamberwellBusiness.com.au FREE to Camberwell traders or $20 for non-members, unless otherwise stated. Events this year will take place on the following dates. Mark them on your calendar:
APRIL AND MAY ✓✓ Mother’s Day promotion.
✓✓ March 22
JUNE ✓✓ Mid-winter sales.
✓✓ August 23
JULY ✓✓ Winter school holiday activities and entertainment in The Well.
✓✓ Through the Lens – Camberwell Camera Club joins us to host a photographic display in shop windows to promote businesses in Riversdale Rd and Camberwell Rd. AUGUST ✓✓ Dine In Dine Out 2016 – our ‘food month’ celebrates restaurants, cafes, eateries and fresh food across the Camberwell shopping precinct. SEPTEMBER ✓✓ Father’s Day promotion.
✓✓ Spring school holiday activities and entertainment in The Well. OCTOBER ✓✓ Fashion and beauty for Spring/Summer 2016 - online promotion at StyleJunction. com.au including style articles, lookbooks and a competition to win $1000 to spend in Camberwell. NOVEMBER ✓✓ Camberwell on Canvas – art works featured in shop windows to support local and emerging artists which includes a prize for best piece.
✓✓ Launch Christmas promotions including the annual Where’s Rudolph? competition. DECEMBER ✓✓ Continue Christmas promotions.
✓✓ Camberwell Christmas Family Day.
✓✓ May 17 ✓✓ November 29
Camberwell Business Club The Camberwell Business Club meets every Monday (from February to December) from 1pm to 2pm sharp, with a guest speaker. $25 for casual attendance or membership packages are available. Why not get out of the office and meet fellow business operators over a light lunch.
Professional Service Businesses It is difficult to keep up with new operators in the precinct, particularly those in upper levels, so please keep us informed. The CamberwellShopping.com.au website is not just for retailers. If your business is deals directly with the public or works with other small business, please let us know. We remind all businesses to check out CamberwellBusiness.com.au where we post local business events held in Camberwell. If you are hosting a local seminar or networking event we can help promote it for free.
Shop News The latest news from retailers, service providers and businesses in Camberwell shopping precinct. ANCORA CLASSICS 222 Camberwell Road A new women’s fashion store specialising in preloved and new designer clothing, accessories and jewellery is now open. BIN THE ASIAN STORE 2/480 Riversdale Road Stocking a range of food products sourced from Asia, this shop is now open in Camberwell. CHECKERED HILL CAFÉ 552 Riversdale Road Offering Asian fusion meals as well as traditional fare, this café is new to Camberwell. CUE 656 Burke Road Iconic Australian women’s fashion brand Cue joined Camberwell late last year. DOMINO’S Coming soon... This popular franchise pizza shop is coming to Camberwell soon. Stay tuned! ETERNAL WEDDINGS 1/480 Riversdale Road Stocking one of Melbourne’s largest range of wedding dresses, Eternal Weddings is now open in Camberwell. HUSH HUSH CAFÉ 564 Burke Road This café is now under new management. They also have a new chef and new menu. KEW ROTARY POP UP Rear 654 Burke Road Rotary’s pop-up store sells Fairtrade and ethical products to support diversity and sustainable economic development to alleviate global poverty. SALT FINANCIAL GROUP 731a Burke Road Specialising in wealth management and financial advice, Salt Financial Group is new to Camberwell. WITCHERY 580 Burke Road The fashion store is undergoing renovations and will reopen in March 2016 in time to release a new Autumn/Winter range.
MAIL BOXES ETC. (MBE) Congratulations to Ray and his team at MBE for winning Franchise of the Year at their annual conference. We love hearing about local businesses doing well.
Committee Members PRESIDENT Henk Kelly-Kobes Dymocks Bookstore 9882 0032 VICE PRESIDENT Matt Walker Grill’d 9882 6211 TREASURER Neil Earle Earle & Company 9882 0233 SECRETARY Bev Wooffindin Camberwell Secretariat 9813 2707 MEMBERS Chris Risteski Column Financial Solutions 9859 8214 George Keskerides Terry White Chemist 9882 6655 Ray Orr Mail Boxes Etc 9813 2200 Tim Kilham Lanyon Partners Chartered Accountants 8678 3997 If you would like to become a member of the Association or take a role on the committee contact the President to discuss.
Weekly Meetings All traders are welcome to attend our weekly meetings at Short Black Cafe (761-767 Burke Road), held every Friday from 10am to 11am. Please join us whenever you can to discuss marketing and relevant issues, over a coffee.
Contact Us For further information regarding topics in this newsletter, please contact Kerry Daly Camberwell Centre Association Manager Lvl 1, The Well, 793 Burke Rd Camberwell VIC 3124 Phone / Fax: (03) 9813 4190 info@camberwellca.com.au