Tough times on Main Street, with empty shops and too few people

Nicholas Boyack

August 12, 2024

Tough times for retailers in Upper Hutt

VIDEO CREDIT: David Unwin / The Post

It is 10.30am on a sunny Tuesday and shoppers on Upper Hutt’s main retail street are few and far between. Banners carry the message Shop Local.

Walking down the street it’s not hard to see why traditional retail is struggling, with the numerous empty shops and the number of barbers and takeaways.

Retailers spoken to offer a wide range of reasons but one thing they all agree on is that it is a tough time to be in the business.

Main Street, Upper Hutt, has seen better times. Retailers say it’s a tough time to do business.

DAVID UNWIN / The Post

Dean Avision, whose wife runs a home and giftware shop, had a typical response.

“People just don’t have the money and those that do have the money they do not want to spend it, as you do not know what is around the corner at the moment.”

Some of the empty shops belong to the mall owner, including the huge old Hazelwood building.

Mayor Wayne Guppy holds regular meetings with the owner, who he understands has development plans for some of the empty shops.

There is nothing stopping the developments from proceeding but in the current economic climate, Guppy says he can understand why there is a reluctance to proceed.

There are rows of empty shops in central Upper Hutt.

DAVID UNWIN / The Post

Mayoral hopeful Peri Zee would like to see the council be more proactive.

As well as encouraging apartments, she says the council should look to create a more family friendly atmosphere with parks and innovative urban design to draw people into the central city.

The money could come from two “pointless” roundabouts the council plans with a price tag of $11 million, she says.

The struggling main street is at odds with what is happening in the rest of the city.

The world-class $110m sports campus hosted the All Blacks last week and has attracted a range of top sports people, as well as being home to the Hurricanes and Phoenix.

Brewtown, a large entertainment hub featuring craft breweries is a major attraction, as is the $50m Lane St Studio. Wallaceville Estate boasts more than 600 new homes and a car museum opened earlier this year.

Peri Zee wants the council to do more to support retailers.

DAVID UNWIN / The Post

At Chaplows, a long standing picture framing business, Mike says the all the new housing has been good for the city but it has done nothing for retailing.

“When the majority of people leave the city to work, it makes it hard.”

The central city lacks attractions and rather than coming to look at frames for their favourite print, he says people now ring and expect an instant quote.

“Since Covid, people are working from home and they want to buy everything online.”

Street banners push the message to shop local.

DAVID UNWIN / The Post

Stephen Kino recently opened Lots of Lollies, one of two sweet shops on the street.

Although he describes Main St as “old and tired” he believes Upper Hutt is a great city and he wants to see it flourish.

A strong retail sector would be good for the city and he is not opposed to having apartments, which would bring more people into the central city and give it some much needed vibrancy.

“I get the impression that Upper Hutt is going to die. There are a lot of empty shops. They [(new businesses)] turn up and six months later they close.”

His neighbour on Main St, Chris Smith, runs a record shop and he says the lack of foot traffic is a major problem.

Gayleen Avison has run a gift shop for 23 years and hopes more residents will shop local. She points out that Upper Hutt is one of the last retail areas to offer free parking.

DAVID UNWIN / The Post

Like Kino, he notes that a lot of Wellingtonians come to Brewtown but don’t check out the rest of the city.

“To me the link between Brewtown and Main Street is a big issue.”

A number of people spoken to say the mall is tired and needs a spruce up. The recent decision by the mall to charge for parking has also irked locals.

Mall manager Andy Bell is aware that the mall comes in for a hard time on social media and that people are concerned about the empty buildings owned by the mall’s owner.

Bell disputes claims that the mall is run down and with only only two empty shops, he says it’s doing well in a tough climate. There are plans to rebrand and give the mall a makeover.

The block of derelict buildings which attracted media attention is about to be demolished and Bell is talking to potential tenants for the new building that will replace it.

The Upper Hutt Mall only has two empty shops.

DAVID UNWIN / The Post

The former Hazelwood building is to get a $2m makeover and he predicts that will make a big difference to the main street.

Newbolds is leasing the building and as one of the last independent appliance retailers in the region, he says that will be a good move for retailers as they are a regional attraction.

Speculation is rife on social media that the mall is to be demolished and replaced with apartments but Bell says that is not true.

Guppy agrees that Main St is not a great look for the city but points out that empty shopping streets are a problem nationwide.

“There is no hiding it, it is tough. I was in Wellington on the weekend and the Golden Mile, sadly, it was pretty quiet.”

The mall is still a popular destination despite recently starting to charge for parking.

DAVID UNWIN / The Post

A lot of the empty buildings are earthquake prone and the owners do not want to spend money in the current climate, when there is no guarantee of a financial return.

The council is concerned about the empty building and this year introduced a differential to target empty and abandoned buildings.

“There will be a considerable penalty for landlords who abandon a building.”

Zee, who has a background in urban planning, wants to see the council allocate more funding to the central city and to measures that encourage apartments.

“Apartments are really critical in the central city because you create that evening environment where people just pop out to get dinner.”