Remember back in 2008 when RMA considerations stopped an IKEA from opening up in Wellington? They would have been too popular, ruled the RMA boffins - the traffic would have been too bad to let them open. One wonders how much lobbying by Ikea's crappy NZ overpriced furniture competitors was involved. As a side note: if you're moving to NZ, fill up whatever space is left in your shipping container with IKEA flat packs, then sell them here on TradeMe for double the price.
Anyway, Susan suggests an excellent idea. If Gerry Brownlee is a one-man zoning-and-regulation-overruling machine, let's get an IKEA for Christchurch. Stuff the RMA processes where IKEA competitors wail and moan about lost amenity value or increased congestion. Now's the time to do it.
Lots of us need to buy new stuff due to quake damage. Gerry could designate a pile of land around the airport as being some new business development zone such that farmers could easily sell out to folks wanting to put the land to higher valued uses. It's in the shadow of flight paths, so they've not wanted to allow it for subdivisions. An IKEA would fit in just nicely.
Gerry, make it so. I'm hungry for some meatballs with lingenberries. Please tell IKEA that no red tape stands in their way if they want to open in Christchurch in the next year.
IKEA: if you've any kind of Google Alerts on your name and Gerry doesn't get in touch, and if you were still at all interested in a New Zealand location, now's the time to move. Please? Please!
Susan gets the credit on this one - her excellent idea.
Good idea. Its a good opportunity to try and entice some, global but not in NZ or Aus, retail chains into the city and create a unique experience for the southern hemisphere. If Christchurch could get GAP, Zara, Marks & Spencers, Banana Republic and some other exclusively into the city it would create a fantastic draw. Not only would Christchurch residents go into the city but people from further afield would travel making Christchurch a weekend shopping destination. If we snagged Ikea we'd be the envy of NZ, and its not like there isn't millions of $'s worth of furniture and home goods that need replacing in Christchurch.
ReplyDeleteI'd love an IKEA store here, just for the storage options they have!
ReplyDelete@Ssheere01: At least we know that Ikea wanted to come to NZ and was stymied by red tape that's now avoidable. The others, best I'm aware, haven't shown interest; would be surprised if they'd want to set up downtown prior to being sure the place is viable. Ikea works as a draw for the whole city, even if out by the airport (where it would have to be for traffic).
ReplyDeleteI'd also be really nervous about some big govt push to draw specific retailers into downtown: risk of expropriation of current owners high, some might ask for subsidies, Brownlee might give them, then everybody would (possibly rightly) hate the new guys coming in.... All we need to do is tell Ikea that the red tape that previously stood in their way is lifted if they're still interested.
ReplyDeleteEric - I will hold off replacing the shelves that exploded on 22 Feb for a while then.
ReplyDeletefair go eric, keep working, do better
ReplyDeleteI know I'm late at commenting on this but I agree with you wholeheartedly. I'm from sweden originally and I was surprised at the ... lack of furniture here. Most stores sell the same stuff, and it's insanely overpriced in addition to not looking that great. There are 5-6 different shelving options, or desks, or drawers and so on. We really need an IKEA here. I'm in Auckland but heck I'd drive down to Chch just to buy stuff and check out our Cable TV/HSI network at the same time XD.
ReplyDeletewww.myflatpack.co.nz
ReplyDelete@Anon: Thanks! We may yet make use of the service. Way more expensive than the Ikea stores in the States, but not unreasonable if they're shipping (as they would be) from Sydney or Melbourne.
ReplyDelete