Latest news with #GaryMortimer
Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
How Country Road went from cult classic to fashion forgettable largely thanks to a cost-cutting decision more than 20 years ago
Country Road is fighting for its future largely thanks to a cost-cutting decision the company made more than 20 years ago, an expert says. The once-beloved Aussie brand is in clear trouble, with Country Road Group reporting in March its earnings were down almost 72 per cent at $14.2million for the last half of 2024. One of its longstanding flagship stores at Sydney CBD's Queen Victoria Building has shut up shop, as has sister brand Trenery in Mosman, on Sydney's affluent lower north shore. Another CBD store in Sydney's Pitt Street Mall is expected to close when its lease expires in three years' time. Queensland University of Technology marketing expert Gary Mortimer said Country Road had lost its iconic Australian lifestyle brand status since Woolworths Holdings took a controlling stake in the late 90s. A cost-cutting move to manufacture offshore gradually eroded its 'Made in Australia' appeal and weakened the brand's authenticity, Professor Mortimer said. 'Since its launch in the mid-1970s, Country Road clothing was primarily made in Australia, specifically, the iconic chambray shirt which I and nearly every other young man had during that time was made here using Australian cotton,' he said. 'The company emphasised its commitment to Australian manufacturing during that time. 'Much of that production has shifted to Bangladesh, China, India and Pakistan under new ownership, essentially losing the essence of what Country Road stood for.' Professor Mortimer said a shift to lower prices in the early 2000s to boost sales had signalled to loyal shoppers that 'potentially the quality is no longer there'. 'Today, Country Road is a mainstream fashion retailer, medium pricing, mostly offshore manufacturing and now competing with other middle-market mainstream fashion retailers,' he said. 'They haven't brought their core customers along on a journey. 'Essentially those customers, like I, who were buying Country Road in the mid-1980s, are now aged in their 50s and are shopping different brands. 'Unlike RM Williams, who acknowledged an ageing core customer, and actively began targeting 25-35 year olds to fill that gap Country Road haven't revitalised their brand.' Consumer behaviour analyst Barry Urquhart advised Country Road founder Stephen Bennett on the brand back in its heyday. Founded by Bennett in Australia in 1974, the business began in Hawthorn, Victoria, with the first standalone store opening in nearby Armadale. Bennett's vision was to create quality clothing designed for an Australian way of life, with the classic cotton chambray shirt released in 1984 an enduring wardrobe staple. Mr Urquhart said this laid the foundation for the brand's success as a lifestyle brand, at times referred to as the Ralph Lauren of Australia. The company expanded to the USA in the 1980s and by 1987 was listed on the ASX. Last year it marked its 50th anniversary. A year on from that milestone birthday, Country Road is on the brink of collapse, Mr Urquhart said. 'The brand has left itself exposed and vulnerable,' he said. 'It's lost its Australian accent, its identity and point of difference.' Mr Urquhart said the brand could survive but it would need a lot of investment. 'The answer doesn't lie with loyalty programs,' he said. 'It is imperative that the Country Road brand articulates its values and defines its unique and differentiated market position.' Mr Urquhart said the brand needed to formulate and project a compelling statement to stimulate relevance and demand. 'The brands, bricks 'n' mortar stores and product range need to promote the emotive and subjective attributes of touch, smell, colours and look,' he said. 'Fashion is a moving feast. Country Road needs to be dynamic, malleable and compelling.' Professor Mortimer said to survive, Country Road should follow RM Williams' strategies to innovate ranges and target a younger market. He said the company, which has blamed its poor sales results on a 'retail recession' it claims hasbeen running for two years, should also collaborate with iconic Australian and First Nations designers and commit resources to Australian manufacturing. Since news broke of its flagship store closing in Sydney, the company assured customers that its retail footprint is being expanded in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide. 'From time to time, we review our retail store portfolio to ensure we're continuing to meet the needs of our customers,' a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. 'We are committed to delivering great experiences throughout our networks and we are investing in our stores, with 10 new or refurbished stores opening by the end of the year.' Country Road Group has been contacted for further comment.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Massive Coles price drop revealed amid 'biggest transformation' in its history: '$150 to $51'
If you've stepped into a Coles-owned bottle shop recently and seen dramatically low prices, you're not alone. Some products have been discounted by close to 75 per cent amid a major company overhaul. Retail and marketing expert Gary Mortimer was shocked when he stepped into his local First Choice Liquor in Queensland and saw a 700ml bottle of malt whisky for just $52 when it was selling for $150 just a few days ago. He also saw a bottle of gin marked down from $55 to just $19. A Coles spokesperson told Yahoo Finance the discounts are the result of a major rebranding strategy in its liquor department. "Coles Liquor Group is undergoing its biggest transformation in its history by unifying Vintage Cellars and First Choice Liquor Market under the much-loved Liquorland brand," they said. "As stores convert to the new format and we tailor the range to the specific store, customers can expect to see some drinks discounted on a store-by-store basis. Coles, Woolworths side hustle offering $320 a year that any Aussie can do Superannuation 'red alert' for millions as $1 billion in retirement savings feared lost Woolworths payment change hits dozens of supermarketsThere are around 160 stores across the country called Vintage Cellars or First Choice Liquor. However, they will be gradually retired and rebadged as Liquorland over the course of 2025 to create a "unified national presence". As a result of this amalgamation of brands, all the store products will have to be the same across the board and some items are now being marked down to clear the stock. Once the transformation is complete, there will be close to 1,000 Liquorland stores across the country. It will also mean promotions and product ranges will be aligned across the network. At the moment, there can be different prices and drinks available across the three brands. "We believe it will have a meaningful impact on how we serve customers the drinks they want, when they want them, and how we partner with suppliers to deliver value," Coles Liquor Chief Executive Michael Courtney said. "In terms of range, we are bringing a more tailored and relevant drink selection from the three banners under one roof. "Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
7NEWS
04-07-2025
- Business
- 7NEWS
Urgent warning to shoppers about online ‘ghost stores' scamming unsuspecting Aussies
Aussie shoppers are being warned about online 'ghost stores', which are scams enticing customers to buy heavily discounted products from non-existent shops. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) received more than 360 complaints about 60 retailers that operate as ghost stores in this year alone. The ACCC alleges ghost stores operate by claiming to be a local Aussie business claiming to see high-quality items, often in a closing down sale, offering bargain prices. However, they instead offer low-quality items. Appearing on Sunrise on Friday, retail expert Gary Mortimer explained the goods are often just shipped from China, India, Pakistan or Bangladesh, or other countries with a large textile base. 'They're really difficult to identify,' Mortimer said. 'I guess the first one is there is no physical location. So, having a brand name with the words Sydney, Melbourne, Byron Bay or Adelaide in it. When you go to Google Maps you will find the brand doesn't have a physical location. 'You will notice on the website has no phone number only email address or a box that you can ask questions from. You can take the brand name and put it into the ABN search. 'You will realise quickly it doesn't have an Australian business number or alternatively put it into Scamwatch to see what Scamwatch detects, whether it's a dodgy site or not.' The commission specifically issued public warning notices about and Ghost stores also refuse refunds or only offer partial refunds to consumers who complain about the inferior quality of the goods compared to what is advertised, or do not respond to complaints at all. Mortimer said to be careful if the prices are too good to be true. 'They also seem to put big sales on,' he said. 'They infer its Italian shows or a French-made product. 'They use story telling. there will be an AI image. They're low cost. Significant savings.'
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Woolworths shopper reveals little-known price tag trick: 'Really clever'
A Woolworths shopper has revealed a little-known trick while perusing the aisles of your supermarket. The grocery giant introduced digital price tags several years ago, and they were designed to cut down on paper and the time spent individually marking items that were on special every single day. They display information like the price, unit price, product name, whether it's on special, and how much you're saving. But NSW mum Chantel noticed you can tap your phone on the tag and it will show you the product on the Woolworths website. "I found it handy to instantly access reviews, pricing, and stock levels online. It definitely helped when comparing similar products," she told Yahoo Finance. Major Coles move to take on Chemist Warehouse, Bunnings, Amazon Centrelink payment change happening this week: 'Will increase' Millennial reveals huge money reality facing nearly one million Aussies The Lake Macquarie shopper said it was "really interesting" to see the technology unfold in person. "I think it's a really clever integration of digital tools into the in-store experience," she added. Digital price tags come with a screen, a long-life battery, receptors and transmitters, and NFC technology, which enables communication between two electronic devices over a short distance. That same technology is used for electronic payments and allows your card, phone, or watch to pay for an item when it taps the you tap your phone onto the digital price tag, it sends you to the Woolies website to give you all the information you need about the product in front of you. Chantel posted about the new technology onto TikTok, and it left many shoppers confused. "What's the point of it though?" wrote one person. "What purpose does it serve?" added another. But the mum told Yahoo Finance why she thought it was a useful tool. "When I scanned the tag, it didn't just show the price, which, yes was also visible on the tag, but it brought up the full product page, which included ingredients, nutritional information, allergy warnings, and reviews in some cases," she said. "As for stock levels, I could easily see which other stores might have stock if it was empty on the shelf." These digital price tags are also used at other retailers like Aldi, Coles, and Dan Murphy's, so it's worth checking if you get the same results from tapping your phone at those stores. Retail expert Gary Mortimer told Yahoo Finance these new tags have been a huge win for retailers in creating efficiencies because staff aren't spending hours going aisle to aisle armed with reams of new paper tickets that might be thrown in the bin in a few days. But it's also cracked down on an issue that enraged shoppers. 'One of the challenges of paper-based tickets was that, in a store with thousands and thousands of items, often a ticket may remain or may be removed. That's often where you get price confusion,' Mortimer said. Customers had noticed a specials tag might say a product is only $9, marked down from $19. But when you looked under the tag, it showed the original price was actually only $16. Mortimer said this would be 'less likely to occur" on electronic price labels because the prices are set centrally and then dispersed to stores. Woolies first launched the digital price tags in 2021 and now has more than 5 million tags across its in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mind-blowing futuristic technology in China baffling Australians: 'Living in 2050'
People have been blown away by certain aspects of everyday living in China as the superpower embraces technological evolution. Whether it's getting your face scanned by an airport billboard for flight details to having food delivered to you via drone in 15 minutes, there's no shortage of impressive tech available. Chinese influencer Junyuan Zheng recently showed how you're able to pay for items at a 7-Eleven using just your palm. A hand scanner at the store is able to connect to your WeChat account, which is a messaging and social media platform, and the payment is authorised within seconds. QUT consumer expert Gary Mortimer told Yahoo Finance we could soon start to see this in Australia, but he said businesses would have to be upfront about certain aspects of the technology before shoppers would jump on the bandwagon. Major cashless payment warning for Aussies over new tech used by 760 million world-wide Common $358 a day expense the ATO lets you claim on tax without receipts Economist issues dire RBA interest rate hike warning: 'Back in play' "We're already seeing the likes of Woolworths trialling smart carts or scan and go technology, and more recently, 7-Eleven in Melbourne and Sydney are trialling 10 stores with just walk-out technology," he said. "Australian shoppers are willing to adopt the technology if it expedites their transactions. "They were more inclined to trial it with a physical retailer that they could trust someone they can ask questions of first before they started doing it online." The Weixin Palm Scan Payments were first launched in 2023 for Beijing's airport express train line and for students at Shenzhen University. After that, it was rolled out to more than 1,500 7-Eleven stores across China's Guangdong Province. Because WeChat is also a payments app where you can send money to individuals and businesses, all your account information is already uploaded to the platform. To activate the palm technology, you just have to scan your hand on one of the machines and then scan the screen's QR code to register your mobile phone. It's as simple as that. While face scanning has been heralded as another new way to pay for things, Tencent, which owns WeChat, felt hands were more reliable. "For example, it is easier to tell the difference between twins, and easier for people of varying heights and physical abilities to use," it said. But Griffith University senior lecturer in cyber security David Tuffley has pointed out one potential issue with palm payments that could cause Aussies to run in the opposite direction. 'Once your biometric data is in the system, it's there forever. You can't get rid of it and you can't change it like a password,' he said. 'I don't think a lot of Australians would be all that keen to see their biometric data permanently stored somewhere. 'Many Australians would be a little reluctant, as I would be. If I could trust the people who have that information, maybe I'd be OK with it, but I don't know that I can trust them.' It's no secret that China has one of the most advanced facial recognition setups in the world. While some might question how that information is used by authorities, it can help people in certain circumstances. Aussie tourist Jordan Dean discovered this while going through a Chinese airport. In just a few seconds, a small digital billboard was able to scan his face and find exactly which gate he was meant to go for his flight. Presumably, the camera was able to cross reference his face to his passport photo and it was able to find his travel information. "There's a lot of online chatter about surveillance in China," Dean said. "Ultimately, we didn't notice anything different while we were traveling through the country - until we got to the airport. "Literally walking passed this machine and without touching anything it scanned my face, showed all the information about our flight and how to get to our gate. We were so amazed we forgot what we were doing." Australia certainly hasn't deployed facial recognition technology (FRT) like this yet, but there are plenty of places where cameras will watch you, like retail outlets, concert venues, sports stadiums and casinos. However, this is largely to benefit the one operating the technology, rather than for everyday Aussies. Bunnings was found to have breached the privacy of potentially hundreds of thousands of customers by collecting their personal and sensitive information without consent when it scanned people coming into stores dotted around the country. The hardware juggernaut said the technology was used to protect staff from unruly customers. But Monash Professor and chief investigator Mark Andrejevic said FRT is "more widespread than many realise and it's poised to spread rapidly", but admitted Aussies are wary of it. 'People need a better understanding of how, why and where facial recognition systems operate, how their personal data will be processed, used and stored, what kinds of risks they might confront from participating, and what mechanisms hold the technology accountable," he said. Mum blogger Mi Di left people baffled after showing off the drone food delivery technology in China's Shenzhen. There are kiosks dotted all across the city, particularly around high-density apartments. Di showed you could get KFC or Subway by scanning the QR code attached to the kiosk. Once you make the order, the food or drink is prepared and then housed in a box that's carried by a drone. All you have to do is type in your phone number when the drone lands and the food or drink will be in your hands in seconds. The blogger said her delivery came just 15 minutes after she made the order. "This is why I say China is living in 2050," she said in the video. People couldn't believe there was that much convenience in getting food delivered to you. "This is terrifying and exciting all at the same time," wrote one person. "This country worked really hard for where they are today and they deserve every bit of it," added another. Wing Aviation and Swoop Aero are the only drone delivery services that has been approved in Australia and currently operate in several areas of the ACT, Queensland and Victoria. Wing boasts you can "get food, groceries, and essentials in as little as 15 minutes", and the fastest delivery recorded so far was two minutes as 47 seconds. These drones usually require there to be a small space for it to land, otherwise you might not be able to order via drone delivery. This space also needs to be free of trees and power in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
