• Major development at cnr Garfield St
• Parnell B2B next Tuesday at Denim Bar
• Late night art next Thursday
• Market Day wrap-up
• National Tsunami Memorial Service on Sunday
• Clawing our way out of recession
• Crime watch
• Parnell Farmer's Market birthday tomorrow
• St Tropez turns 10
• Cruise Ship update
• Parnell Inc November meeting
• More events on in Parnell

Work to start soon on major development
Samson Corp's Andrew Patterson design at cnr Garfield St

Work will soon begin on Samson Corporation's major development at 98 - 106 Parnell Road, the corner of Garfield Street. The 5-building commercial/retail development designed by leading Parnell-based architect, Andrew Patterson, will extend from Parnell Road to Bath Street at the rear.

An overview Patterson's work, from the Auckland Branch of the NZIA's Block Architecture Guide (2007) included the following description of this innovative development: "This project combines urban and tectonic elements previously developed in Patterson’s Site 3 and Cumulus buildings. Scheduled to begin construction in 2009 and intended to achieve a five-star green rating, this collection of low-rise buildings will house commercial office space on the upper levels, with retail and cafés at ground level and car parking below. The site has three street frontages and occupies the entire end of a city block, and a series of courtyards and alleys will allow pedestrians to move into and across the site. The façade treatments of the various buildings include double-layer fritted glass and textured GRC panels" (Note: the picture at left, from the NZIA publication, looks somewhat different from the artist's impressions included in the 2005 Resource Consent documentation.)

All tenants have moved from the three buildings currently occupying the site. Parnell Real Estate has relocated to 99 Parnell Road beside Mink Cafe (new office to be open next week), while other displaced businesses have either closed or relocated outside Parnell.

Samson Corp expects demolition work to commence towards the end of November/early December. Following demolition, piles will be bored around the site's perimeter to provide support for the retaining wall to be constructed on the boundary. Pile boring is expected to take apporoximately 2 months.

Site excavation to create three basement car parking levels, with capacity for 186 cars, will take approximately 3 months. The traffic management plan for the construction period (included in the 2005 Resource Consent Application) estimated that 12,000 cubic metres of material would be removed from the site, over a period of approximately three months. Hours of excavation will typically be 7.30am - 6pm, six days a week and involve 50 - 60 truck movements a day.

Late Night Art, Parnell
Parnell galleries open until 7.30, Thursday, November 12

Remember that on the second Thursday of each month, Parnell Galleries are open until 7.30pm for Late Night Art. And they're joined by a number of nearby shops.

This is the fifth Late Night Art - and with longer days and warmer nights, and music in the street, it's a great night to take time out to visit our wonderful galleries before going off to dinner. Make a Parnell night of it!

For more details on what's on next Thursday see
www.parnell.net.nz/Parnell_Late_Night_Art.htm

Parnell Road Market Day
Event wrap-up

Parnell had perfect weather last Saturday for the first day of the Festival of Roses weekend and our Parnell Road Market Day. Crowd numbers were down on last year's Rose Festival, but up from May Market Day's numbers. At the Rose Gardens, a similar decline in numbers was noted and contributing factors may have been, (ironically) the fabulous weather, the first day of school sports (cricket especially takes so much time out of the day!) and other activities competing for people's time, or ongoing economic factors.

It was good to see a large number of retailers participate, offering, for the most part good quality items at good prices. Retailers, please remember that Market Days are a major opportunity for you to showcase your wares and attract people back to Parnell and your store. The quality of goods you put for sale outside your business offers, for many, a first impression of what you sell instore - don't blow it by offering junk or having a poorly set up stall!

Guerilla stalls not welcome. From time to time we get opportunistic outsiders setting up stalls along Parnell Road during Market Day. Parnell Inc will ask these people not to return if they are spotted: they are freeloading - they do not contribute rates, as Parnell Inc member businesses do, to fund and market these promotions - and they do not represent what is on offer daily in Parnell. (We will of course continue to make exceptions for charitable organisations and community groups, such as the Parnell School PTA.)

Rose Garden Fashion Show
The fashion show on Saturday afternoon, featuring fashions and jewellery from Parnell retailers, was a big success. New Yorker Linda Chandler did a wonderful job producing and compering the show, which featured fashions from The Cupboard, Jane Daniels, Elizapesi, Natalie Chan, and Rohmana; shoes from Heavenly Soles (now relocated to the heart of the Parnell Village at 317 Parnell Road) and jewellery from Graeme Thomson. A crowd of up to 250 people watched the half hour show at 5pm.

Clawing our way out of the recession
But only just.....

It's official - the recession has ended, says Westpac in its October Retail Outlook. The following excerpts are taken from this review of the NZ economy, prepared for the NZ Retailers Association.

After five consecutive quarters of decline, the New Zealand economy finally managed to record some growth in the June 2009 quarter. It is a tenuous end mind you - GDP increased just 0.1% in the quarter, which is hardly spectacular. But it is growth nonetheless.

The encouraging aspect of the data is that the detail points to more growth to come. A truly massive inventory unwind is a case in point. Production will need to lift to replenish depleted stockpiles, especially now consumer spending is rising again.

The GDP result isn't the only good news we have received in the last few weeks. Recent economic data releases have also revealed a whopping improvement in the current account deficit (what we owe the rest of the world), rising house prices, continued net migration gains, and a big upward revision to Fonterra's dairy payout. Of most importance, though, has been the surge in consumer and business confidence. A precursor to any economic recovery is a return of confidence and New Zealand has that in spades.

Retail sales are starting to rise again after being slammed during the recession. Sales volumes posted a 0.4% gain in the second quarter of 2009, following six consecutive quarterly declines. Rising net migration, an improving housing market, an increasing punch from the prior aggressive interest rate cuts and the April 1st tax cut have all helped to arrest the decline in sales volumes. But, even with the small improvement, the volume of retail sales remains 6.6% below its peak more than 2 years ago. On a per person basis, sales volumes have dropped 8.7% from their peak in early 2007. Per person spending at the shops is at the same level as it was 5 years ago. The good news is that we expect growth from this low base.

By region, the strongest growth has been in Auckland, with sales on a strong upward trend since February.

This is the second consecutive quarter that (consumer) confidence has recorded a double digit gain. Consumers, regardless of age, income group, gender, or region, have shrugged off any doubts they had a few months ago and are now convinced that good times are on their way.

Perceptions around the longer term economic outlook continue to reach new highs. An overwhelming net 62.8% if respondents think there will be good economic times in the next five years.

A net 21.9% of respondents still say they are worse off financially now compared to a year ago, which serves as a reminder that current cash flows remain tight. An air of caution also exists in the response to the question around whether now is a good or bad time to buy a major household item. The enthusiasm consumers feel about the economy, along with the elevated NZD, has yet to translate into a greater willingness to buy big ticket items.