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February 19, 2010

Next Blue Bin collections
Feb 26 + Mar 12

Parnell Inc members get Graffiti removed
for FREE! Ph 579 3256

Charity collectors in Parnell next week:
Monday: NZ Paralympics
Thursday: Red Cross

Parnell Rd pedestrian traffic count
Parnell Village Fair - new event in March
105 knitted hearts for Valentine's Day
Parnell Profile: Classic Interiors
Christmas retail growth lower than hoped
Art Snake Sponsors needed
Fun in store at Parnell Farmers' Market
Cruise ships in Auckland this week
More events on in P arnell

Parnell Road Pedestrian Traffic Count
December 2009

Parnell Inc. conducted a count of pedestrian traffic in the Parnell Road shopping centre in December. Numbers of pedestrians were counted on a week day (Wednesday 9th) and on a Saturday (Saturday 12th). Pedestrian traffic was counted at eight points from St Stephens Avenue to Heather Street from 10 am to 5pm on Wednesday and from 10am to 4.30pm on Saturday.

The pedestrian count will be repeated annually.

Wednesday 12th December (high resolution version here)

Saturday 19th December (high resolution version here)

Notes
- The count is of adults and teenagers only. (Children under 13 were counted separately)
- Kings School's carol service at Holy Trinity Cathedral on Wednesday morning, contributed to the number of pedestrians in upper Parnell Road in the morning.
- A visiting tourist bus on Wednesday contributed to numbers of pedestrians in upper Parnell Road around lunchtime.
- Artis gallery was not included in the Saturday count due to employee absence.

Parnell Village Fair
New event on the Parnell calendar, March 27

City Construction, owners of Parnell Village and many other charming historic properties further down Parnell Road, is introducing a new event to Parnell's calendar: The Parnell Village Fair, to be held on Saturday March 27 from 11am to 4pm.

The inaugural Parnell Village Fair promises to offer both locals and visitors a great way to become well acquainted with this unique, cosmopolitan area of Auckland. The Parnell Village Fair will feature a fashion show, food tasting and live music, as well as a display of many rare vintage motorbikes. The launch to public display of the Duncan Meikle/Burt Munro drag bike purchased by City Construction's Kevin Harvey last year, will be one of the highlights of the Fair.

Further details of the Parnell Village Fair will be posted to the new www.parnellvillage.co.nz website.

A few months later, the Parnell Road May Market Day, organised by Parnell Inc., will take place the day before Mother's Day - Saturday, May 8.

105 Hearts for Valentine's Day
Knitty Graffiti squad hits Parnell

Last week, a squad of young women were spotted furtively knitting a colourful set of hearts to the wire fence surrounding the demolition site at the corner of Garfield Street and Parnell Road.

Knitty Graffiti have claimed responsibility for the heartwarming addition on their blog. They're part of a new international movement called knit bombing.

"Tonight 14 people met on Parnell Rise with their bags full of yarn.
Why? To heart a fence for Valentine's Day. We giggled and laughed. We dropped our wool on the wrong side of the fence and some of us got very tangled up! And we all had so much fun! The amount of hearts exceeded my expectations," reported this knit bomber in her blog.

Last week's The Aucklander had a piece on knit bombers in Auckland.

Bahaa Al-Hakim at Classic Interiors

Parnell profile: Classic Interiors
Luxury Italian furniture and accessories

Bahaa Al-Hakim opened Classic Interiors at 99 Parnell Road, just up from Mink Cafe, in January. A recent arrival from Europe, Bahaa has reestablished his successful Copenhagen-based furniture business in Parnell. The spacious and light-filled new store has had a complete makeover from its previous life as a bar, and now extends to the rear of the property.

Classic Interiors showcases a wide range of luxury hand-crafted Italian furniture, both modern and traditional. The beautiful furniture in store is mid-price level, but customers are able to select and personalise even more luxurious pieces from the catalogs of companies Bahaa represents. These include prestigious furniture artisans such as Salik, Maestri Artigiani, PM4, Angelo Cappellini, Consortio Cabiate and Turri (designer kitchens).

Bahaa believes New Zealand houses need the warmth of more luxurious furniture. "In New Zealand there are many beautiful houses, but they have simple cold furniture. It's not warm furniture. The classic Italian style of furniture brings warmth to a home and you never get tired of it. These pieces are made by master craftsmen, with beautiful materials including gold and silver leaf and real marble."

In addition to furniture, Classic Interiors also has Italian accessories including lamps, mirrors, large animal figures and unique pieces such as Globe Bars. New stock is arriving all the time!

With 27 years furniture experience, Bahaa can help residential, commercial and hotel customers select furniture to meet their exact tastes and requirements.

Classic Interiors, Shop 3, 99 Parnell Road. Ph 377 3282. Open Monday - Saturday 10am - 5.30pm. www.hakimco.com

Christmas retail growth lower than hoped
But a great December for cafes and restaurants

The New Zealand Retailers Association comments on Statistics New Zealand's recently released retail series for the December month and the December quarter.

Let's consider the month first - the Christmas trading period. We were all aware that Christmas shopping was true to form and came with a rush over the last 10 days or so. However, the rush wasn't strong enough to give us the growth we were looking for as an industry sector. We had been hoping to get to around 3.5% compared with December last year but we only managed 2.3%. In fact, the core retailing group (excluding the vehicle related categories) only gave us growth of 1.7%. When the December growth was viewed on a category basis there was some indication that the lack of turnover growth may have been partially reflective of intense competition, lower prices and that the volume of sales may have performed better. On a regional basis Wellington and Canterbury were the poor performers.

When we look at the quarterly data the December quarter was up 1.6% overall and the core retail group was up by 2.4%. There was mixed performance by sector with supermarkets/grocery stores, recreational goods, liquor and appliance stores doing better than average and department stores, furniture and floor coverings and footwear all down. While takeaway food was up, accommodation, bars and clubs were down. Cafes and restaurants were the star performers at 7.8% growth on the December quarter last year. Wellington was the region under the greatest pressure recording a 4.9% decrease compared with last year.

One pleasing aspect of the numbers was that the sector appeared to have stock under better management with most store types showing a decrease in stock at the end of December last year compared with the end of the previous year.

Source: New Zealand Retailers Association, 12 February, 2010

Art Snake sponsors needed
An opportunity to partner with the local community.

The Parnell Trust is looking for a sponsor for this year's Art Snake .

This annual community event features art work from up to 700 children from Parnell District School and Newmarket Primary School exhibited in Parnell and Newmarket shop windows as well as Holy Trinity Cathedral over a 2 week period.

This community event brings families into the shopping areas as children hunt out where their own art is on display. Parnell Inc. supports this event which is popular with both schools and participating shops.

If you are interested please contact Catherine Parker on 379 2095 x9701 or catherine@parnell.org.nz

What's in store at Parnell Farmers' Market
Events to look forward to on Saturday mornings

The Parnell Farmers' has a programme of great activities lined up for March, starting on March 6 with "Three little Pigs came to Market". Free events all morning for children and talks on cooking pork with chef Stuart Masters at The Farm Gate stall 9am, 10am and 11am start. See www.parnell.org.nz for further information.

Where: Jubilee Building car park, 545 Parnell Road. Saturday mornings from 8am - 12 noon.

Cruise Ships in Auckland
Cruise ship visits slow down

More cruise ships come to Auckland in February than in any other month. Next week's visitors are:

Sunday 21st Feb: Saga Ruby has a partial exchange of around 100 of her 655 passengers, who are mainly British and over 50.

Monday 22nd Feb: Sun Princess returns again - transit only with up to 2,250 passengers, mostly American and British.

Sunday 28th Feb: Dawn Princess returns - transit only with up to 2,250 passengers, mostly American and British.

Parnell businesses can stay updated by downloading Parnell Inc's detailed Auckland Cruise Ship Schedule, beautifully compiled by our last intern Johanna. It includes a little background info to let retailers know who they can expect to see about Parnell!

Happy weekend everyone!

Debbie Harkness
Parnell Inc. Manager
259a Parnell Road
debbie@parnell.net.nz
p. 379 0606
f. 379 0953
m. 027 601 0641

About Parnell Inc. If your business lies within Parnell Inc.'s boundary area (Parnell Road & Rise, and some adjacent side streets) you are automatically a member of Parnell Inc. and paying 1.38% of your general rate towards this organisation. See here for more information on Parnell Inc.

Vision: Through its three-year strategic plan, Parnell Inc. is working to achieve the following vision:
...Parnell is marketed effectively as a thriving retail and hospitality centre and is the preferred central city location for up-and-coming businesses.
... Parnell's owner operated stores, its galleries and restaurants are renowned for providing a high-quality and unique experience in a setting that maintains an authentic charm. They consistently attract local and overseas visitors back to Parnell, time after time. For other businesses, the vibrant yet relaxed village atmosphere, together with transport convenience and access to a full range of professional services, makes Parnell an ideal central city location.
...Parnell is an exciting place to visit and satisfies the curiosity and intrigue of its visitors with elements of delight and surprise.

Executive Committee: Parnell Inc.'s activities are determined by a committee of members. Any of them would be happy to talk with you, tell you more about the area and hear your comments or suggestions. Our committee is:

Simon Glasgow
Carrick Graham
Sherryn Mehta
Rory MacDonald (Chair)
Athol McQuilkan
Miles Nathan
Christopher Swasbrook
Nick Travaglia

Hinu te Hau
Cr Ken Baguley

Parnell Inc. member services: Graffiti Removal . Weekly email newsletter . Wednesday Night Security Patrol . Monthly B2B Buzzes . Shoplifter Text Alerts . Speed Dating for Businesses .
Parnell Inc. provides these ongoing services for members. To learn more go here or contact Parnell Inc. for further information: info@parnell.net.nz or phone 379 0606.

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