Shops look at late opening to beat traffic

Picture / Greg Bowker

In what could be the biggest change for shoppers since Sunday trading, retailers are looking at new hours that would see shops open and close later.

The Retailers Association is canvassing members to see if there is support for a shift in shopping hours - from today's 9am to 5.30pm to later hours, such as 10am to 6.30pm - to reflect customers' changing lifestyles and longer working hours.

Russell Sinclair, the association's Auckland regional manager, said in other countries it was common for stores to open and close later. The main reason most New Zealand shops opened from 9am to 5.30pm was tradition.

Mr Sinclair said such a move could bring many benefits - including the possibility of easing traffic congestion. "Every one of us in Auckland sees the result of shifting a group of people off the road in terms of school holidays," he said. "If something similar was to happen in retail too, it could have a major effect on our traffic flows." Retailing employs 325,000 people in New Zealand, about one in six workers.

The country's largest shopping mall owner, Westfield, confirmed it has undertaken retailer and consumer research into changing shopping hours at its centres and is now deciding whether to make the move.

While the company would not release its findings, documents obtained by the Herald show 58 per cent of retailers surveyed wanted to trade after 5.30pm, and 75 per cent of customers said they would shop after 5.30pm - ideally until 7pm.

But 56 per cent of retailers wanted to maintain an opening time of 9am, suggesting the shift might be to longer hours, not a later start.

The split in retailers' views was reflected by some of the biggest retailers.

Pumpkin Patch executive chairman Greg Muir said the childrenswear retailer was happy with current hours. He questioned whether there would be any more shoppers between 5.30pm and 6.30pm than between 9am and 10am.

"In kidswear apparel, most of the people who have kids are home with them."

Cliff Kinraid, chief executive of Hallenstein Glasson Holdings, said his company would support an hour's delay in opening and closing.

"I think it would probably help in terms of logistics, particularly in the Auckland market, in getting people and stock to stores."

Mr Kinraid said the Hallensteins and Glassons clothing chains did not do much business between 9am and 10am and a later finish would boost profits. It might also be useful in attracting casual labour. But he believed a 7pm close would be too late for working mothers.

National Distribution Union retail sector secretary Judy Attenberger said staff should be surveyed for their views. If employers did not do that, the union would.

"If they're going to extend from 10 in the morning, that could have good implications for women with children, but if they extend to 7pm, that could have bad," she said.

The debate is being welcomed by transport officials and the Consumers' Institute.

Joel Cayford, chairman of the Auckland Regional Land Transport Committee, said a change in hours could reduce traffic congestion.

If shop workers travelled later, the difference would be huge, particularly for the Auckland CBD.

He said later retail trading hours would offer the added benefit of enticing some of those who finish work at 5.30pm to shop, invigorating the CBD and shopping areas.

Consumers' Institute chief executive David Russell said most people would like to be able to shop after work. "It's obviously a recognition of changing social patterns and should be welcomed by the majority of New Zealanders."

* What do you think? Should shops open and close later, or stick with the current trading hours? Send your views by email.