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Myer's Emporium Melbourne: chavs rejoice

Written by Daniel P Dykes

Failing to understand that their dwindling margins and relevance to Australian shoppers has more to do with a lack of culture, terrible service and worse stock, Australian retailer Myer have succeeded in pushing for the demolition of Lonsdale House, one of Melbourne's heritage Art Deco landmarks, and the neighbouring Caledonian Lane.

While architectural news is seldom a feature of Fashionising.com, the decision beggars belief. Yes, the Victorian government's contemptuous disregard for Melbourne's heritage is hardly a secret, but Myer's failure to understand their irrelevance to consumers can only raise questions about why they're still in business.

A glass box come shopping centre, the replacement of Lonsdale House shows that corporate greed knows few bounds, nor has much sense about it.

Take the consumer angle: shoppers looking to spend serious cash don't need or want another shopping centre; one only need to look at the falling sales at Victoria's suburban shopping centres, such as Chadstone, to ascertain that fact. And looking to the glass wasteland that is Melbourne's Docklands highlights that mid-90s glass boxes aren't for the fashionable either.

Or your could look at the shopping experience itself: while anyone who has attempted to find service at Myer of late can tell you the experience is a lacklustre one, the demolition of a heritage building highlights that those behind the development don't understand the cultural element of shopping. It's not the purchased item that makes up the experience of shopping, it's the cultural elements of service and surrounds that do. And those same elements are what bring shoppers back time and time again. Take the away and the shops that will occupy this new building will all join the rat race to the bottom of the pile.

Most ludicrous, though, is the cringe worthy attempt to build cultural value into the dated box soon to be named Emporium Melbourne. Though unseasoned shoppers who might decide to migrate from QV or Melbourne Central (other glass box shopping centres in Melbourne with little distinction) to the new development won't realise it, the Emporium in the title is a reference to Myer's glory days when it was called Myer Emporium. Back then the stock was good and the service better.

Now instead Myer places themselves, and 240 other stores, at the mercy of an already dated design while the truly fashionable will stick to heritage high streets where the truly cultured side of shopping is to be found.

Written: 27th July 2009 at 16.34

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