Hallenstein Glasson signs for flagship store in central Chch

Hallenstein Glasson signs for flagship store in central Christchurch

27 January 2015 – Clothing retailer Hallenstein Glasson has signaled a major long term investment in the Christchurch city rebuild, today announcing its plans for a new flagship store in the CBD – its second biggest in New Zealand.

At 903m2, the store will encompass Glassons on the ground floor and Hallensteins on level one. The two level store, on the corner of High and Cashel Sts in the new ANZ Centre building, will mimic the highly successful model opened in Wellington’s Lambton Quay late in 2013.

Chief executive Graeme Popplewell said the investment was part of Hallenstein Glasson’s overall strategy to ensure its brands were dominant in key market locations.

“You don’t get opportunities like this every day of the week. It’s an amazing chance to get the best position and to be part of the whole new city. We see it as a long-term decision. It’s really important for us, as a strong New Zealand brand, to ensure we have a strong presence in Christchurch. This is a bespoke situation where we can design the store exactly as we want. What we will deliver will be of the highest international standard and reinforce the strength of both brands and that we know and understand our customers.”

Glassons will cover 456m2 and Hallensteins 452m2 in an edgy integrated store, complete with huge digital screens, inspirational displays and upbeat music.

Popplewell said strong competition from the internet and overseas retailers in New Zealand meant the clothing retailer must always ensure every facet was internationally competitive.

“We need to make sure we’re better than our competition. Everything we do has to be world class standard to compete with global players. It’s all about newness and freshness because our customers are incredibly well informed and they can see every clothing option under the sun on the internet, every second of the day. They’re very well researched - to meet and exceed their expectations we need to ensure we have new product every week.“

Match Realty director Aubrey Cheng, who brokered the lease, said it was a significant boost for the Christchurch CBD retail precinct.

“To date, most of the news has been centred around offices, government departments and banks. But Hallenstein Glasson has recognised that the rebuild offers a unique opportunity to represent their brand to shoppers coming back into the city and provide something different to what is typically found in the malls.

“This area around Ballantynes and down Cashel to High St is the prime stretch for fashion retail because there is a consistent streetscape on both sides from ANZ Centre and The Crossing where both projects are focused on securing fashion retailers which will provide the depth and range of a necessary critical mass of fashion retail.”

Cheng said there has been good interest from both international and local retailers.

“We are conscious of providing a stimulating mix of retailers, embracing the best of what NZ has to offer coupled with the product pull of internationals. We certainly intend to bring new brands and concepts to Christchurch.”

ENDS

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