H & J Smith to upgrade Gore store
Southern retailer H & J Smith is planning an upgrade of its Gore department store to future proof it in a changing market.
Company chief executive John Green said a proposal to close the top floor of the building and move all retail space to the ground floor had been discussed with staff.
The Junction Cafe, on the second floor, will close on October 13 with the loss of eight jobs.
The soft furnishings and home linen departments will move to the ground floor after the Christmas trading period.
Green said the company had been looking at modernising the store for some time but he could not say when customers would see an upgrade of the 1905 building.
‘‘It is quite a large store over two floors and what we have looked at is restoring it for the future The numbers to refurbish the store are horrendous and to refurbish more space than we need doesn’t make sense.’’
Spending habits were changing and the company needed to change to ensure the store remained sustainable, he said.
Online shopping had played an inevitable part but the big issue was that what people wanted to buy continued to change.
‘‘Travel has become more affordable and people now shop on holiday, or they travel to other cities or retail areas to shop.
‘‘We have to update and stay relevant to the community, and put a more modern look to the Gore community,’’ Green said.
The store currently employs 40 staff in either full or part-time roles.
Green said the company still had confidence in the Southland market.
‘‘We have 113 years of history in Gore and with that comes a phenomenal responsibility.
‘‘We are a Southland company through and through.’’
The company opened its Gore store in 1905 and built its present building on the corner of Main and Irk streets in 1913.
The building is now owned by an Invercargill family trust and has a valuation of $1.91 million.
H & J Smith is a privately owned regional department store group with stores in Invercargill, Gore, Remarkables Park in Queenstown, Te Anau, Balclutha, Mosgiel and Dunedin.