Leveraging (and loving) that village vibe

When Covid-19 came calling in 2020, Birkenhead Village retailers relied on the vibrant community spirit to triumph over the lockdowns and setbacks.

It has a butcher, a baker, it even has a candlestick maker – all deemed essential services and therefore able to operate during the Covid lockdowns – and it’s one of a number of reasons why Auckland’s Birkenhead Village, aka the Highbury Shopping Centre, got through the pandemic relatively unscathed.

The shopping precinct, with its rich heritage, quirky fairy-lights and famous views of the harbour and CBD, has long been known for its small-town community vibe. But, as Kae Condon, Birkenhead Town Centre manager for the Birkenhead Town Centre Executive Board points out, there are many other reasons why it is attracting high calibre retail and hospitality business owners and their families, as well as healthy shopper numbers.

Perhaps the most important factor in this story was the decision made by local business owners in 2009, post-GFC, to create its own economic development fund. Birkenhead subsequently became one of 45 Business Improvement Districts set up and supported by the Auckland Council. This targeted funding is put to good use improving the local shopping environment and supporting the business community.

Like all retail centres, Covid had a major impact on Birkenhead Village – hastening the departure of three major banks, as well as The Warehouse (one of two anchor tenants in the Highbury Mall).

“Those will be big spaces to fill,” admits Kae. “But on the plus side, the foot count in the village has improved. And a number of business owners chose to utilise lockdown time to make significant improvements to their business.”

Retail businesses more traditional in their approach also invested in their digital platforms and social media to boost sales.

Kae highlights other factors that have assisted the wellbeing of the village, even before Covid’s arrival, such as lower commercial rental fees, the abundance of free parking and the fact that Highbury is just four kilometres from Auckland’s CBD. That makes it popular for shoppers, diners and prospective business buyers.

Marketing has played a major role in the village’s success too – not surprising, considering Kae’s corporate marketing background. The Village’s official Facebook page boasts 6500 followers and is based around storytelling – as are the quarterly themed promotions she organises.

When Kae spoke to NZBusiness in March, she was busy prepping for the annual ‘Latin Fiesta’ – a day of Latin food, music and fun that originated during the 2011 Rugby World Cup, when Birkenhead Village adopted the Argentinian rugby side.

She was also one of two local ‘brains’ behind promoting the Village’s seven barbershops through the Cutting Edge of Auckland promotion that resulted in a “global media frenzy”, and queues outside participating barber shops at midnight – the night Auckland moved back to Level 2 for the first time. They’ve been riding that publicity wave ever since, with an additional three barber shops opening soon after, attracted by the lower rentals and easy customer parking.

Another coup was securing the Sunday Night Markets, unique to the North Shore and previously held at the neighbouring Glenfield Mall, and proving a major attraction.

Where everybody knows your name, and cares

Over the past year Kae has seen the highs and lows of the Covid response. She’s convinced that it’s the village’s special community vibe, “where everybody knows your name” – and the fact that 98 percent of the businesses are owned by people with a vested interest in both their own business and the area – that’s helped the precinct overcome challenges.

She’s also proud of the brand she has developed, together with an enthusiastic Board, over the past five years.

Kae’s advice for retailers in 2021 is to have, and execute, a business plan, stay close to your finances and even closer to your customers, keep an eye on future trends and work on your business’s digital presence.

She recalls how, in the darkest days of lockdown, she was able to utilise the Village’s Facebook page to reach 175,000 in a week, as each business category was able to come back on stream. “We were able to reach 30,000 for the local butcher, who didn’t have an online business.”

Home deliveries suddenly “went berserk”, and the butcher still maintains a Wednesday delivery service to this day.

Kae is convinced of the effectiveness of social media for connecting with customers, and engaging with 30,000 from a base of 6500 Facebook followers was an outstanding result.

For retailers, having that digital presence is now more important than ever, and she highly recommends MBIE’s Digital Boost – the government-funded skills training and support initiative to support small businesses.

Birkenhead Village is a unique retail and hospitality precinct that has emerged from the eye of the Covid storm in pretty good shape. The fact that it was still able to host its four major themed marketing events through all the disruption of 2020 is testimony to the determination of Kae as the organisers, as well as the agility and flexibility of the retailers and business owners.

It just demonstrates what a true ‘village vibe’ and a strong community spirit can achieve.

This story first appeared in the May 2021 issue of NZBusiness.