traders’ newsletter CAMBERWELL TRADERS ASSOCIATION NEWS
FIRST QUARTER 2021
IN THIS ISSUE A year in review Marketing update
CamberwellShopping
CamberWELL-BEING
camberwellshops
Business levy support
camberwellshopping
A LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear fellow traders and professionals, In my last letter I was very candid about the lockdown effect and predicted we would have a very positive Christmas, barring any COVID issues. It looks like the retail side did have a positive outcome however, hospitality and professional trading was mixed. We knew we’d lose a number of traders, particularly in these categories of hospitality and professional services, for a number of reasons, but it has been less than expected. The end of JobKeeper will likely add more pressure. Having said that, we are now heading into a more positive phase as businesses find a new normal, though hampered with the insecurity of random outbreaks and border closures. Masks are still mandatory, venue numbers limited, and many of the local office workers have not returned yet. We will have to live with this until we have the vaccination completed by later this year. However, it does not mean we are going to lose momentum, as our customer bases have been more resilient than last year. Retail and hospitality will be in a better place than last
CamberWELL-BEING returns this year to support and promote the health and wellness businesses in the Camberwell shopping precinct. Held on Saturday, May 29, CamberWELL-BEING is a fun day that invites shoppers to register and follow the Wellness Trail for their chance to win some great prizes. Customers will collect their branded sports bag from our HQ event booth on the day, which will include a trail passport. Entrants will follow the trail to discover what’s happening in the participating businesses and get their passports stamped. When customers return to the booth with a stamped passport, they can enter the Wellness Trail competition for a chance to win one of the many prizes donated by our traders. Being a part of the trail is a fantastic opportunity for traders, who can tell potential customers about their products and services and entice them back with special offers.
NEED IDEAS? HERE’S HOW YOUR BUSINESS CAN GET INVOLVED: • Organise an activity, event, demonstration or special guest for the day.
year. The support of outdoor dining has helped to bring additional awareness to our restaurants. We can also benefit from the flexibility in workplaces; less workers in the office has been balanced with more people having time to visit shops or hold their meetings in cafes. In this newsletter we’ve highlighted the marketing opportunities coming up like Easter, Mother’s Day and our annual CamberWELL-BEING health and fitness event, which drives customer numbers to the precinct. Please use the Trader Portal on the website to keep abreast of relevant local business news and government updates, and contact Kerry Daly with any promotions you want placed on our website and social media. That includes professionals who want to promote seminars or promotions. We can reach people outside of your database, so use the Association leverage whenever you can. Have a great quarter and stay well. Regards, Henk Kelly-Kobes President, Camberwell Centre Association
• Offer a free session or class on the day to introduce your business to new customers. • If your business runs private classes or consultations, host an open day to give people a taste of what your business offers. • Create a special offer on your products and services like a discount or a ‘buy one, get one free’ deal on the day or during the months of May and June. • Give away free samples, such as a taste testing of health foods or a sample of a cosmetic product. Consider offering vouchers to bring people back into your store. • Hire promotional staff to engage trail walkers at your business or roam the precinct and invite guests into your business. • Provide gifts, vouchers, or products for inclusion in the official event sports bags. Still struggling for ideas but keen to get involved? Talk to us and we’ll be able to help. Contact Kerry Daly by phoning (03) 9813 4190 or emailing kdaly@camberwellca.com.au
MARKETING SNAPSHOT: A YEAR IN REVIEW Despite facing a pandemic and lockdowns in 2020, our marketing activity was still successful and allowed us to engage with our audience. Some highlights included our Christmas Family Day where Santa did laps around the precinct in a
HERE’S A SNAPSHOT OF MARKETING ACTIVITIES COMPLETED IN 2020: ✓ Produced promotions, including advertising and competitions, for New Year, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, food and dining, Father’s Day, Camberwell on Canvas, and Christmas ✓ Created and advertised 3 x seasonal campaigns (autumn, winter, spring) to showcase traders and the precinct, incorporating video, editorial, social media, competitions, and digital advertising ✓ Created and distributed 12 x detailed monthly newsletters to our email database
motorbike sidecar. This was complemented by roving musicians and entertainers to give the precinct a festive atmosphere. We ran a comprehensive food and dining campaign to ensure our restaurants, cafes, and eateries were well supported throughout lockdown periods. We also managed to take many of our campaigns online, including a virtual experience of Camberwell on Canvas, and maintained production of The Camberwell Citizen.
✓ Ran a daily giveaway competition to ‘Win $100 every day’ to spend in Camberwell to grow email subscriber list and boost brand awareness ✓ Advocated and petitioned for traders at local council on key matters such as parking, dining parklets, and support during COVID-19 trading restrictions ✓ Secured a $20,000 grant to add festoon lighting to outdoor dining parklets and improve their appearance ✓ Delivered regular updates to traders including quarterly email and print newsletters.
✓ Created unique content including ‘Meet a Trader’ articles, and guides for seasonal fashion, back to school, food and dining, Black Friday, and Halloween ✓ Ran digital versions of our Business Forum events (free for traders) ✓ Ran a comprehensive ‘We’ve still got it all’ campaign to keep the precinct front of mind during the pandemic ✓ Produced 3 x issues of The Camberwell Citizen newspaper with 30,000 copies of each issue distributed to local homes, shops, and key locations ✓ Produced 14 x SEO articles to improve our online profile and search engine performance
Our online marketing activities continue to yield strong results. Here’s a snapshot of Camberwell’s digital audience numbers: • More than 7,800 email addresses in our subscriber database • More than 124,500 visits to the websites over the past year • More than 8,500 followers on social media
AUTUMN CAMPAIGN Our seasonal campaign highlights Camberwell as an autumn shopping destination and is supported by advertisements, a promotional video, editorial on the Camberwell Shopping website, and autumn leaf decorations hung throughout the precinct. We will publish fashion articles that share autumn/winter trends and highlight local stores where trending items can be bought. The campaign includes a competition that gives people the chance to win $1000 to spend in the precinct.
As part of our Easter promotions, we will run The Great Camberwell Easter Hunt competition. The competition encourages people to find the golden eggs hidden on posters in shop windows around the Camberwell precinct for a chance to win a $200 shopping voucher. The more golden eggs that entrants find, the more chances they will have to win, which incentivises people to visit as many shops as possible. The competition is supported with digital advertising and social media activity.
BUSINESS RESOURCES AND SUPPORT
BUSINESS SUPPORT LEVY
We’d like to remind you about the many resources and business support channels available to you at this time.
Camberwell traders first implemented the marketing and business support levy in 1996 to ensure that all businesses contributed to the success of the precinct. The levy is collected by Boroondara Council and passed on to the Camberwell Centre (Traders’) Association to engage marketing professionals to undertake promotion and business support initiatives. This was incredibly important over the past 12 months as we were able to help struggling businesses, communicate government directives and support opportunities, and ensure connection with the community. The levy, which is renewed every 5 years, is currently progressing through council, and we have had tremendous support from traders across the precinct. As well as continuing our comprehensive program of marketing activities, we will also develop our research to ensure our marketing is relevant to the shifting demographics and business style of our community, so the precinct remains attractive to both customers and tenants. To learn more about the business support levy, visit: camberwellshopping.com.au/what-we-do
• Trader Portal: Be sure to check the Trader
Portal on the Camberwell Shopping website for regular news and updates in relation to COVID-19, trading advice, support services, grants, rent relief schemes, government notices, and more. Visit: camberwellshopping.com.au/cca-association-news
• Free webinars: There are regular webinars and workshops listed on the Camberwell Business website. Many of these are free and cover a range of topics including business operations, bookkeeping, marketing, sales and more. Visit: camberwellbusiness.com.au
• Complementary marketing consultation:
The traders’ association is working with Castle Jackson to offer a complimentary one-on-one consultation to receive marketing advice and get set up for better value from your online presence. To book a consultation, visit: castlejackson.com.au
NETWORKING EVENTS Meet other traders, professionals and community members to share ideas and issues.
TRADER AND BUSINESS FORUMS The Camberwell Business Forum will return this year, with our first event due to take place at a physical venue on Tuesday, March 30. The session will share tips on photography and videography for small businesses. Visit camberwellbusiness.com.au to secure your spot. The Camberwell Business Forums offer local businesses a great opportunity to meet and network. Drinks and nibbles will be provided. Guest speakers and topics for future events will be posted on camberwellbusiness.com.au. Events are FREE for Camberwell traders or $25 for non-members, unless otherwise stated.
THE CAMBERWELL BUSINESS CLUB The Camberwell Business Club events have returned. The club meets every Monday for lunch (from February to December), from 1pm – 2pm sharp, and features a guest speaker. It costs $25 for casual attendance or membership packages are available. It’s a great chance to get out of the (home) office and meet fellow business operators over a light lunch. Details: camberwellbusinessclub.com.au
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE BUSINESSES It is difficult to keep up with new operators in the precinct, particularly those in upper levels, so please keep us informed. The camberwellshopping.com.au website is not just for retailers — businesses can use it too. If your business deals directly with the public or works with other small businesses, please let us know. We can create a web page for you at no cost.
We remind all businesses to check out camberwellbusiness.com.au, where we post local business events held in Camberwell. If you are hosting a local seminar or event, we can also help promote it for free. Send info to: info@camberwellca.com.au
TRADER PORTAL Please see our Trader Portal tab on the website for helpful advice for rent negotiations, mediation, business and mental health support programmes available to you during COVID-19. camberwellshopping.com.au/cca-association-news
MARKETING CALENDAR What’s coming up? MARCH ✓ Camberwell Business Forum (March 30) ✓ Autumn campaign (March – May) ✓ Easter promotions begin, including annual Great Camberwell Easter Hunt
APRIL ✓ Autumn campaign (March – May) ✓ School holidays (April 2 – 19) ✓ Easter (April 2 – 5)
MAY ✓ Mother’s Day (May 9) ✓ CamberWELL-BEING (May 29) – Family event to celebrate health and wellness businesses in precinct
SHOP NEWS
Catch up with new businesses, store moves and other news. FRANKIE4 FOOTWEAR 626 Burke Rd New to Camberwell, FRANKiE4 is a footwear label founded by podiatrists. Their ‘Support Footbed’ boasts hidden features that support your entire foot. Visit their new store to find shoes that are innovative, fashionable, and comfortable. GO GO ESPRESSO 550 Riversdale Rd Go Go Espresso in Camberwell is drive-thru coffee, but not as you know it. They serve freshly ground Allpress coffee, artisan teas, and thoughtful snacks to keep you on the go. Adjacent to the car wash and behind the Caltex service station. HIIT REPUBLIC 509 - 513 Riversdale Rd Get ready to sweat, grind and hiit it in an epic, functional fitness space – HIIT REPUBLIC. Recently opened in Camberwell, the space offers high‑energy, high-intensity workouts combining strength and conditioning training. MAYA COSMETIC CLINIC 706 Burke Rd Looking for specialist tattoo services? Look no further than Maya Cosmetic Clinic, which offers services including cosmetic tattoos, permanent makeup, and medical tattoos. POPULAR DUMPLINGS 885 Burke Rd A new restaurant, Popular Dumplings, has opened in Camberwell and offers a delicious range of dumplings and other Asian dishes. SKINDEVOUR Shop 101, Camberwell Place shopping centre, 793 Burke Rd Skindevour Advanced Dermal and Aesthetics Clinic has opened in Camberwell Place shopping centre. The clinic offers skin treatments, laser hair removal, cosmetic injections, teeth whitening and more.
THANKS BOROONDARA To thank the community for supporting local and independent traders during the COVID-19 pandemic, City of Boroondara is running a competition called #ThanksBoroondara. They're giving away two 'Ultimate Days Out in Boroondara' worth $3000, as well as fifty $50 vouchers to spend in your favourite local stores. To enter, make a purchase from an independent store in Camberwell and upload your receipt here: https://bit.ly/2MLgZYM
COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESIDENT Henk Kelly-Kobes Dymocks Bookstore 9882 0032 VICE PRESIDENT Ray Orr Mail Boxes Etc 9813 2200
Wayne Chen The Gift Bargain Store 0433 159 949 Natalie Daw Helloworld Travel Camberwell 9963 1280
TREASURER Tim Kilham
Neil Earle Earle & Company 9882 0233
SECRETARY Bev Wooffindin Camberwell Secretariat 9813 2707
George Keskerides Terry White Chemist 9882 6655
MEMBERS Adam Axon Paper Cut 8376 8628
Chris Risteski Column Financial Solutions 9859 8214
If you would like to become a member of the association or take a role on the committee contact the president to discuss.
WEEKLY MEETINGS Our weekly meetings are currently on hold. However, all traders are welcome to contact precinct manager Kerry Daly to discuss any marketing or relevant issues. Call (03) 9813 4190 or email kdaly@camberwellca.com.au
STAY INFORMED The trader’s association sends out monthly email newsletters with current business, news and marketing updates to ensure you stay informed about what’s going on in the precinct. If you are not receiving these emails then we either do not have your current email address or you need to check your spam filters. Please contact us if you are having any issues with receiving the email newsletter.
CONTACT US For further information regarding topics in this newsletter, please contact Kerry Daly Camberwell Centre Association Manager Lvl 1, Camberwell Place, 793 Burke Rd Camberwell VIC 3124 Phone / Fax: (03) 9813 4190 info@camberwellca.com.au