Newspaper Article 1998 – Retail support important

Retail support important

There have been many changes in Havelock North retail in the village’s history, and the changes to come seem positive as long as local people continue to support local retailers, says Havelock North Business Association president Michael Poppelwell.

He believes the quality of the stores in the village is enviable. Havelock North residents would be the first to complain if those stores were not around, he says.

Enticing locals to shop in the village is an ongoing challenge for Havelock North retailers. This is because many villagers work in Hastings or Napier so they do a lot of their shopping there. Michael says he would like to re-educate people to shop where they live.

“I think we are meeting the requirements of all people living in Havelock North. We do not have the population to attract chain-type stores here which are crowd-pullers, nevertheless the quality of our stores is a crowd-puller. We are growing all the time and have become a worthwhile shopping destination,” Michael says.

Michael has been in business in Havelock North for about 19 years and he has seen many changes at the shopping village. There have been many buildings pulled down and new shopping centres and buildings replacing them, such as the shopping mall on the corner of Napier and Te Mata Roads, the Westpac and BNZ banks. Compared to shopping 20 years ago, there is far more selection now, he says.

“And I only see us getting bigger and better.”

Michael became president of the Havelock North Business Association in March last year, when it got a shot-in-the-arm because of threats from the Hastings District Council to redesign roading and install user-pays car parking in the shopping centre. The association – which had been lying low since burning itself out on the Home Free competition (lucky shopper wins a beach home) four years ago – set up two committees to meet the needs of Havelock North retailers.

“There has been a retail association of some sort here for 30-odd years and it has had its ups and downs along the way. “There are about 65 members in the association now that it has been organised, and it is operating more efficiently,” Michael says.

The association was re-fired to speak as a united front to the council. Two committees were formed – a committee to talk politics and another to deal with shopping centre promotions. The latter will become active later in the year, Michael says.

“It is good that we can now approach the council and the council can approach us easily. It has worked very well and we have good communication again.”

Michael presides over the “political” committee. Its formation is the reason he became president again after doing a three-year stint in the top chair nine years ago. It is in his interest to see Havelock North business – retail and non-retail – thrive.

“I think as a shopping centre we have come of age in the last 10 years. We have become a serious shopping centre.

“Wanting more locals to shop here is not a grizzle. It is one of the association’s challenges, as it always has been. We are steaming along quite well because we have everything here. To support this shopping centre benefits everyone in the community,” he says.

Photo caption – Michael Poppelwell, president of the Havelock North Business Association, believes the village shopping centre is a worthwhile shopping destination.