AN INTERNATIONAL expert has called on retailers and landlords to collectively drive growth in Mount Gambier’s inner-city landscape by forming a management body to oversee the retail precinct.
David West’s visit comes as the city struggles with a string of empty shops along Commercial Street and the rise of online shopping trends in the Blue Lake city.
The high-profile consultant was the guest speaker yesterday at a key Mount Gambier Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting, which attracted shop landlords, retailers and realtors.
Placing the city’s retail landscape under the microscope, Mr West also held talks with Mount Gambier City Council elected members and dropped into shops to discuss the city’s retail climate.
His visit – secured by the chamber in partnership with City Council – is considered the first step in boosting Mount Gambier’s inner-city retail strips.
Explaining main streets across the world faced similar challenges to Mount Gambier, Mr West warned new streetscapes and trees were not enough to drive growth.
“Management is the key – it is number one,” Mr West said at yesterday’s meeting.
“You need management, an organisation, to bring in all the elements, which includes marketing and looking at the different business mix.”
He said it was critical all retailers and shop owners in the city’s centre were “harnessed” to promote the retail precinct.
Mr West said “business improvement districts” were popping up around the world – including the United Kingdom, America and Singapore – and were delivering “really good results”.
Moreover, he said it was vital main streets offered the latest business trends and offerings to continue to entice shoppers.
Mr West said methods used by shopping centres should be considered for inner-city precincts and translated into main street strategies.
“We need to see all the retailers working as one street. While one retailer alone can market themselves, if you market the whole street you can attract more customers,” he explained.
Importantly, collective main street marketing can also build a brand so customers “feel it is a quality and organised street”.
This branding – which would include market research – can target niche markets, the tourism sector, as well as the wider catchment area.
“Retail is moving so fast, we need to be on top of it,” Mr West said.
“Main streets are a marketers’ paradise because there is so much diversity – there are so many stories to tell and so much character.
“Shopping centres plan ahead for five, 10 to 20 years so they know where they are going, we do not necessarily have plans for main streets.”
Conceding funding streams were often a hot topic and an issue, he said retailers and landlords could come together to fund plans and management activities.
Mr West – who sits on the MainstreetSA committee and has consulted for shopping centres and main streets across the globe – said it was crucial Mount Gambier’s central precinct was marketed as a whole.
“This is really critical – we do not focus enough on marketing in our main street and collective businesses,” Mr West added.
He said it was also essential the main street continued to offer “experiences” to get around the “online onslaught”.
“We have to have experiences in stores and in the main street – if people can just get it online, they will.”
He also warned shop owners should not park near shopping strips given it took away valuable spaces for customers and called for empty shops to be “disguised”.
“The chamber and city council are both advocates of maintaining a vibrant CBD, which is the economic barometer of any city,” chamber president Lynette Martin OAM said yesterday.
“We invited Mr West to come to Mount Gambier to share his knowledge on main street management and world’s best practices.”
