traders’ newsletter CAMBERWELL TRADERS ASSOCIATION NEWS
CamberwellShopping
SUMMER 2017/18
IN THIS ISSUE
camberwellshops
Christmas promotions
CamberwellShoppingAU
Camberwell Business website relaunches
CamberwellShops camberwellshopping
Camberwell on Canvas Marketing update
A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear fellow traders and professionals, We are well into another Christmas season – retailers are winding up and professional services are no doubt busy to meet end-of-year deadlines. For many, times have been challenging as cost increases have outstripped growth. The main reasons seem to be a lack of consumer confidence, no inflation and a lack of wage growth. This means people have less spending money and a reduced willingness to spend. The Chadstone rebuild is still having an impact on spending in our area. One of the main reasons people visit the shopping malls and the city are for the department stores, which we don’t have. These stores are under pressure already and the arrival of Amazon will threaten their dominance. It will be important to offer excellent customer service and a unique customer experience to entice people to shop in-store. The good news is that our vacancy rates have dropped – retail vacancy is down from 9% to 7%, the lowest
in 5 years, and there are fewer leasing signs in the commercial sector. The Well is undergoing renovations with new tenancies coming in next year. The Burke Avenue car park upgrade has been well received, with better access and safer pedestrian areas. The Harold St side will be upgraded next year. We’re pleased that our push for Boroondara Council to improve laneways and introduce more public art has resulted in action. Commerce Lane (next to CBA) and the Post Office laneway both look fresh. The laneway beside ANZ will be revitalised next. Camberwell Village in Porter St and the new Hawthorn Park development in Camberwell Rd presents an opportunity for increased foot traffic to our shopping precinct. I wish you all a merry Christmas and prosperous New Year. Regards,
Henk Kelly-Kobes President, Camberwell Centre Association
We also ran a ‘Find everything you need for spring racing in Camberwell’ advertising promotion which encouraged shoppers to think of Camberwell shopping precinct for all their spring racing needs. This advertisement appeared in local newspapers. To further support our spring marketing activities, we installed artificial flowers to decorate the precinct and show that we were celebrating spring. This was well received by the public and we have subsequently had a lot of positive feedback.
MARKETING SNAPSHOT It’s been another busy quarter for the Camberwell shopping precinct, with plenty of promotions taking place over spring. Our annual spring fashion promotion returned this year, which gave shoppers the chance to win a $1000 shopping spree in Camberwell. The competition asked entrants to select their favourite look from the Style Junction Lookbook and tell us which one was their favourite. People had the chance to obtain additional entries if they spent $25 or more at any Camberwell fashion, beauty or accessories retailer and uploaded a copy of their receipt. The winner of the competition was Belinda Sandilands. The competition was supported by a strong editorial campaign on the Style Junction website which shared a series of fashion and beauty trend articles over the campaign period.
THE BOROONDARA MERCHANDISING GRANT If you own or operate a shop in Camberwell, you could be eligible for a grant to upgrade your shopfront. The grant includes a design consultancy service, valued at $1800, which includes custom recommendations for your facade, sketch plans and project management assistance. Businesses must be prepared to contribute at least $250 to unlock $750 in funding, up to an amount of $3000. Details: http://bit.ly/2j8Ao3s
Christmas is coming! Camberwell’s annual Christmas Family Day is on Saturday, December 16. With Christmas just around the corner, we’re well and truly in festive mode. Our annual Christmas Family Day returns on Saturday, December 16 and all traders are encouraged to make the most of promotions that will take place on the day. The precinct will come to life with Christmas balloons, roving entertainers and plenty of activities for the family. The antique fire truck will return to offer visitors free rides with Santa around the shopping precinct, while face painters, balloon modellers and live musicians will keep people entertained throughout the day. This year we will also introduce a Christmas photo wall where people can get their photo taken with props against a festive backdrop. We will expect increased foot traffic so be sure to coordinate your own in-store promotions and events on this day if you wish to take advantage. Let us know so we can share them online.
Editorial and advertising campaigns Our Christmas promotions and activities will be supported by a strong editorial and advertising campaign to promote awareness of our Christmas Family Day and to keep Camberwell at the forefront of people’s minds for Christmas shopping. The advertising campaign will include newspaper ads (Herald Sun gift guide, Domain, Progress Leader and Mama Mag), radio ads (3AW, SmoothFM) and a digital advertising campaign (AdWords, banner ads, social media advertising). For editorial, we will produce our own content including Christmas stories that will be published and distributed through direct email campaigns, our website and our social media channels.
Christmas competition Our annual Christmas competition Where’s Rudolph? returns for its fifth year due to popular demand. Some families have made it a tradition to go on a hunt around the shopping precinct in search of Rudolph.
The competition encourages people to find posters in shop windows of Santa’s reindeer, with only a few of Rudolph to be found. Entrants must find a Rudolph (and tell us which shop it was found at) to go in the running for the major prize, while finding each of the other reindeer gives them an entry into the bonus prize draw.
Christmas window competition Boroondara Council has launched their inaugural Christmas Windows Competition and traders in Camberwell shopping precinct are encouraged to enter. To be eligible to win a $4,000 Progress Leader advertising package, send a photo of your decorated shopfront window, along with the shop name and address, to business@boroondara.vic. gov.au Photos will be uploaded to the Boroondara Life Facebook page where people can vote for their favourite windows by liking the photo. For more information, contact Samantha Bernardo by phoning 0409 494 001.
If you have any images or details about your Christmas activities, please send them to kdaly@camberwellca.com.au
A payment surcharge is deemed excessive if the surcharge exceeds the permitted surcharge as defined in the RBA standard. As a guide, the RBA said payments through the domestic eftpos system (used to process payments from debit cards) are usually quite low. Accepting a Visa or MasterCard debit transaction may cost a business around 0.5 per cent of the transaction value, while credit cards may cost up to 1-1.5 per cent for Visa and MasterCard, and between 2-3 per cent for American Express.
CAMBERWELL BUSINESS WEBSITE RELAUNCH
Traders should be aware that a payment surcharge ban is now in place and businesses cannot charge more than what it costs them. The ban applies to all businesses, regardless of their size. The ban commenced applying to all businesses on September 1, 2017. For full details, visit: https://www.accc.gov.au/business/ pricing-surcharging/payment-surcharges/qa-paymentsurcharges
The Camberwell Business website recently relaunched with a fresh new look. As part of the upgrade, the Camberwell Business logo was refreshed to bring it in line with the Camberwell Shopping logo, creating cohesion across our brands. The website is now mobile-responsive, making it compatible and user-friendly across mobile and tablet devices. As mobile usership is rapidly increasing, it was important to bring the website in line with updated standards on these platforms. The site also has a business directory which lists professional and B2B services. If your business fits into this category and is not listed on the site, please let us know so we can add it. Send details to: kdaly@ camberwellca.com.au A new and improved event listing section and event calendar makes it easier for users to find events in Camberwell by date and relevance, while a stronger call-to-action for the mailing list sign up will allow us to attract more subscribers and help us to grow our email database. The upgrade not only gives the website a more modern look but also makes it easier to maintain.
EXCESSIVE PAYMENT SURCHARGE BAN The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has advised that if businesses choose to impose a surcharge on its customers for making a payment using a credit, debit or prepaid card, the level of the surcharge must not be excessive. A surcharge is a cost that a business incurs for processing a payment which is then passed on to the consumer as a payment surcharge.
CAMBERWELL ON CANVAS Camberwell’s truly unique “art on show”, Camberwell on Canvas, returned for its sixth year, and ran from November 15 – 30. The show attracted local artists and showcased their talent in shop windows in the Burke Hill area of the precinct. Artists ranging from juniors and amateurs to professionals were allocated a store and invited to submit their interpretation of the theme ‘Art to match a store’. The Camberwell Centre Association created this event to promote the unique businesses on Burke Hill and provide a forum for art lovers. The association provided the canvases and allowed the artists to sell their art commission free. People voted for their favourite art works to go in the running to win a $50 shopping voucher to spend in Camberwell. The show was very popular, with the unique 24/7 style exhibition attracting new shoppers to the area and allowing us to be more involved with the local community.
MARKETING CALENDAR
NETWORKING EVENTS
What’s coming up?
Meet other traders, professionals and community members to share ideas and issues.
DECEMBER ✓✓ Continue Christmas promotions including the annual Where’s Rudolph? competition ✓✓ “Avoid the Hassle” advertising campaign ✓✓ Camberwell Christmas Family Day (16/12)
JANUARY
TRADER AND BUSINESS FORUMS Guest speakers and topics will be posted on CamberwellBusiness.com.au Events are FREE to Camberwell traders or $25 for non-members, unless otherwise stated. For your free tickets, please use the promotional code TRADERS when making your booking. Events will resume in 2018, stay tuned for more details!
✓✓ New year’s resolution promotions ✓✓ School holidays ✓✓ Back to school
THE CAMBERWELL BUSINESS CLUB The Camberwell Business Club meets every Monday (from February to December) from 1pm to 2pm sharp, with a guest speaker. It costs $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 THE AGM AND BUSINESS CHRISTMAS DRINKS The Camberwell Centre Association Annual General Meeting was held on Tuesday, November 21. The committee will continue to carry out its great work. The Christmas party following the AGM was well recieved, and everyone got some great tips from the globally-awarded speaker Bruce Doyle from Unlimited Business Growth.
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 - businesses can make use of it too. If your business deals directly with the public or works with other small businesses, 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 event we can help promote it for free. Send info to: info@camberwellca.com.au
SHOP NEWS ADAIRS 801 BURKE RD, CAMBERWELL Manchester and homewares store Adairs has reopened its Camberwell store after undergoing renovations. Pop in to see their fresh new look. ALPHABITS REAR CAMBERWELL ARCADE, 600 BURKE RD, CAMBERWELL Alphabits offers a collection of sterling silver and precious stone jewellery at their new store in Camberwell. BOSTON BARBERS 1 PROSPECT HILL RD, CAMBERWELL A new barber shop, Boston Barbers, has opened in Camberwell. Pop in to make a booking for a haircut, razor shave or beard trim. BUCI EMPORIO LEVEL 1, THE WELL, 793 BURKE RD, CAMBERWELL Women’s clothing and accessories brand Buci Emporio will operate a popup shop in The Well for a limited time. ELYROS 871-873 BURKE RD, CAMBERWELL Congratulations to Cretan restaurant Elyros on being awarded One Hat at The Age Good Food Guide 2017 Awards. HASH SPECIALTY COFFEE REAR 564 BURKE RD, CAMBERWELL Hash Specialty Coffee has opened a new cafe in Camberwell. Find them in the laneway that connects Burke Rd with the Market Place car park (near Boost Juice). LIFE READY PHYSIO + PILATES 636 BURKE RD, CAMBERWELL Life Ready Physio + Pilates is now open in Camberwell and offers tailored physiotherapy treatments for families, professionals, sports groups and seniors. PHAT STACKS 736 BURKE RD, CAMBERWELL Phat Stacks, a restaurant that serves some of Melbourne’s best burgers and sides, has recently opened in Camberwell. Their menu features a 24-karat gold burger. REGAL SLEEP SOLUTIONS 505-507 RIVERSDALE RD, CAMBERWELL Regal Sleep Solutions recently opened in Camberwell. Their mattresses are recommended by over 200 health professionals and they offer VIP mattress and pillow fittings. TABLE & KITCHEN LINENWARE SHOP 2, REAR 576 BURKE RD, CAMBERWELL New homewares store Table & Kitchen Linenware recently opened in Camberwell (next to Woodfrog Bakery). The store specialises in tablecloths, napery and French linen.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESIDENT Henk Kelly-Kobes Dymocks Bookstore 9882 0032
MEMBERS Chris Risteski Column Financial Solutions 9859 8214
VICE PRESIDENT Matt Walker Grill’d 9882 6211
George Keskerides Terry White Chemist 9882 6655
TREASURER Neil Earle Earle & Company 9882 0233
Ray Orr Mail Boxes Etc 9813 2200
SECRETARY Bev Wooffindin Camberwell Secretariat 9813 2707
Tim Kilham Lanyon Partners Chartered Accountants 8678 3997 Cameron Kinnane Stephens & Miller 9882 3906
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 Rd), held every Friday from 10am to 11am. Please join us whenever you can to discuss marketing and relevant issues over a coffee.
STAY INFORMED The trader’s association sends out monthly email newsletters with current business, news and marketing updates to ensure you stay informed about what’s going on in the precinct. If you are not receiving these emails then we either do not have your current email address or you need to check your spam filters. Please contact us if you are having any issues with receiving the email newsletter.
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