Independent store's staying power no mean feat

CRAIG SIMCOX/The Dominion Post

HAPPY FEET: Paul and Julie Gubb of Gubbs Shoes keep their prices sharp, sacrificing bigger margins to keep customers happy.

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It may not stock them on its shelves, but Gubb's Shoe Fashions is tough as old boots.

The family-owned business has weathered and witnessed its fair share of battles, says owner Paul Gubb – whose father and mother founded the store in 1946.

Fellow sole traders have been squeezed out by rocketing rents and large chain stores. But a tradition of lower margins and a personal touch has kept the tills at Gubb's ringing.

Wellington's shoe trade used to be the preserve of small independents, says Mr Gubb.

"Now you've got a lot of franchise-type operations. These are the big operations that have a lot of buying power. They can dictate what they want to pay [manufacturers] and when they pay."

The days of rent comprising 5 per cent to 10 per cent of a retailer's outlay are all but gone, he says.

Leases have risen exponentially over the years, Once Gubb's rent spiked 80 per cent overnight.

Store manager Julie Gubb says large chain stores that also operate in Australia can more easily swallow the sizeable rents charged by landlords, especially for shop space on central Wellington's "golden mile".

Some Lambton Quay retailers pay more than $2000 per square metre, while Willis St tenants pay as much as $1500 per square metre.

"This is prime rental space that no independent stores are able to pay for."

Gubb's began as retailer of New Zealand-made footwear but brands that were once "Kiwi" are now made overseas, she says. "You cannot have a shoe shop now that supports solely New Zealand-made."

Gubb's keeps its shoe prices sharp, sacrificing bigger margins to keep customers happy. "In terms of new stock I don't think you can buy it cheaper elsewhere."

A forced move to Wakefield St from its home of 24 years on Courtenay Pl has been a blessing in disguise. "It's more our cup of tea here, we just didn't know it. It's bigger and it's a cleaner area and we're now handier to almost all our customers."

The business' longevity has meant the Gubbs know the faces and feet of many of their clientele, says Mr Gubb.

Just like the store, Gubb's customers are stayers.

"We've got a real hard-core group of customers between 30 and 80. A lot came in here as children to get ballet shoes with their mothers and now they're bringing their children and grandchildren in here."

- © Fairfax NZ News