Well-known Rangiora retailer moves to Sydenham
A former Rangiora policewoman, who transformed her love of fabrics and homeware into a popular business in a residential area, has moved her shop to Christchurch.
The Fabric of Society, which is owned by Emily Rowse, has begun trading at 6 Carlyle St in Sydenham, ending a long connection with its former Rangiora premises at 15 Coronation St.
''After many years in Rangiora we are thrilled to now call Sydenham home,'' Emily says.
''It is a vibrant design-forward neighbourhood that perfectly matches our aesthetic.''
The decision to move the business was made because Emily now lives in Christchurch, as do all of her staff.
The move means the new shop will also be much closer to a larger population base of potential customers, not that trading in Rangiora was decreasing, as many of Emily's customers from around Canterbury told her they loved coming to Rangiora to shop.
However, with the Chinese online marketplace behemoth Temu now offering a huge range of heavily discounted items, which is providing an irresistible lure for many shoppers, trading for all community-based retailers, such as The Fabric of Society, is becoming extremely challenging, Emily says.
With this in mind, she wishes that consumers would consider the possible unintended consequences of such big support for online overseas shopping, which is the demise of retail businesses based in communities like Rangiora.
She also wishes that consumers would consider the benefits of supporting retailers in their local communities, where the money they spend will not go overseas.
The Fabric of Society began in July 2006 as Femme de Brocante, ''a made-up French saying that loosely translated means women who like old things'', upstairs in the Gables Arcade in Rangiora's High St before moving to the bigger space in Coronation St in 2009.
The business was established to fill a gap in the market for affordable, designer fabrics and homeware from New Zealand, France and other nations worldwide.
Emily took over Femme de Brocante in 2018 and decided it was a good time to also change the name of her business.
''Even my friends didn't know what Femme de Brocante meant,'' she says.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Otago Daily Times
5 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Well-known Rangiora retailer moves to Sydenham
The Fabric of Society's owner Emily Rowse, centre, with her dog Lilou and some of her staff members, Michelle Hewett, left, and Vicki Hazlett, taking a break from packing for the move to Sydenham. PHOTO: SHELLEY TOPP A former Rangiora policewoman, who transformed her love of fabrics and homeware into a popular business in a residential area, has moved her shop to Christchurch. The Fabric of Society, which is owned by Emily Rowse, has begun trading at 6 Carlyle St in Sydenham, ending a long connection with its former Rangiora premises at 15 Coronation St. ''After many years in Rangiora we are thrilled to now call Sydenham home,'' Emily says. ''It is a vibrant design-forward neighbourhood that perfectly matches our aesthetic.'' The decision to move the business was made because Emily now lives in Christchurch, as do all of her staff. The move means the new shop will also be much closer to a larger population base of potential customers, not that trading in Rangiora was decreasing, as many of Emily's customers from around Canterbury told her they loved coming to Rangiora to shop. However, with the Chinese online marketplace behemoth Temu now offering a huge range of heavily discounted items, which is providing an irresistible lure for many shoppers, trading for all community-based retailers, such as The Fabric of Society, is becoming extremely challenging, Emily says. With this in mind, she wishes that consumers would consider the possible unintended consequences of such big support for online overseas shopping, which is the demise of retail businesses based in communities like Rangiora. She also wishes that consumers would consider the benefits of supporting retailers in their local communities, where the money they spend will not go overseas. The Fabric of Society began in July 2006 as Femme de Brocante, ''a made-up French saying that loosely translated means women who like old things'', upstairs in the Gables Arcade in Rangiora's High St before moving to the bigger space in Coronation St in 2009. The business was established to fill a gap in the market for affordable, designer fabrics and homeware from New Zealand, France and other nations worldwide. Emily took over Femme de Brocante in 2018 and decided it was a good time to also change the name of her business. ''Even my friends didn't know what Femme de Brocante meant,'' she says.
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- NZ Herald
How a2 Milk's $282m Yashili deal opens doors in China's infant formula market
Yashili NZ is owned by Yashili International, a subsidiary of China's Mengniu Dairy. MVM will be treated as discontinued operations and a2 Milk expects to recognise a loss on the sale of about $130m. In its result, the company made a net profit of $202.9m, up 21.1%, and ahead of market expectations ($192m). Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) came to $274.3m, up 17.1%, on an ebitda margin of 14.4%, up 0.4 percentage points (market expectations: $271m). And a2 Milk also announced plans to pay a $300m special dividend. Bortolussi said a2 Milk has attained a top-four brand position in China – the world's largest infant milk formula market. 'It has been an exceptional year for our infant milk formula business, growing 10% in the year driven by our English label business which was up 17%,' he said. Looking ahead, the company expects high single-digit percentage revenue growth this year against 2025's. It also expects margins to be about 15% to 16%, with a net profit similar to the 2025 year. 'In the context of the range of outcomes, I think it's a solid set of numbers,' Forsyth Barr senior analyst Matt Montgomerie said. On the buy-and-sell transactions, Montgomerie said: 'I'm reluctant to say it's a game-changer, but clearly it's quite a step change and transformational for the business. 'I think it makes a lot of sense.' The addition of two licences should support a2 Milk's China label growth story, he added. Jarden analysts said the market would likely take time to digest the future 'capital intensity' required to become a more vertically integrated infant formula player. English-label formula, usually marketed through cross-border e-commerce channels, is cheaper than Chinese-label product, which uses more expensive ingredients and is sold in the more conventional mother-and-baby stores in China. Double-digit sales growth in English-label sales was a key factor in a2 Milk's profit improvement. The company also said it had achieved record market share in the Chinese-label market. Bortolussi said the decision to sell MVM and buy the plant at Pōkeno was part of a strategic initiative which had its origins in early 2021, soon after he started as CEO. 'For a long time, we have been focused on accelerating and expanding our market access in China and on development of our infant formula capability,' he told the Herald. 'The combined impact of these transactions deliver on that.' As it stands, a2 Milk has access to only one China registration through its sole formula manufacturer, Synlait Milk. Chinese regulations allow for just three formula registrations per factory. Registrations are highly sought after, and the process to gain one can take several years to complete. 'It would have taken us another five years or more at MVM to get registration, which would have required more investment in blending and canning, on building capability throughout the process to get there, and with no certainty about the outcome,' Bortolussi said. 'What we have announced today allows us immediate access to a world-class facility at Pōkeno.' Pōkeno has a milk-drying capability similar to MVM's, making MVM surplus to requirements. Bortolussi said there was potential for one more licence to be granted for Yashili NZ's Pōkeno plant, and for another at Synlait further down the track. In China, it's common for a2 Milk's competitors to have five to 20 product registrations. 'This will really open up the opportunity for us to expand our position in the China market,' Bortolussi said. The company, which specialises in product containing just the a2 beta protein and not the a1/a2 combination found in regular milk, declared a final dividend of 11.5 cents, taking the total to 20c. Shares in a2 Milk rallied on the news to a high of $9.29, but later eased to $8.83. The stock started the year at $6.17. Jamie Gray is an Auckland-based journalist, covering the financial markets,the primary sector and energy. He joined the Herald in 2011.
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
A2 Milk's profit soars to over $200m
The producer and exporter of the speciality products using a2 milk increased infant formula sales in the key Chinese market. Photo: Eiliv Aceron for Unsplash Infant formula maker and dairy products producer A2 Milk has had a solid profit lift on the back of increased sales, as it shakes up its production facilities, and plans a bonus payout to shareholders. Key numbers for the 12 months ended June compared with a year ago: The producer and exporter of the speciality products using a2 milk increased infant formula sales in the key Chinese market, while it stemmed losses at its Mataura Valley Milk plant and those in its export operation to the US. However, the company, which is reliant on Synlait Milk for much of its infant formula product, announced a major shake-up in operations. It will sell the loss making Mautaura Valley in Southland to Open Country Dairy, while it has bought the Chinese owned Yashili New Zealand Dairy Co owned by a subsidiary of the Mengniu Dairy Group for $282m. A2 said it would make a loss of about $130m on the Mataura sale, and intended to invest about $100m into the Pokeno plant to increase production. Overall, the transactions will give a2 Milk net proceeds of about $100m. "The acquisition of the Pokeno manufacturing facility and related products represents a pivotal moment for The a2 Milk Company and the execution of our supply chain transformation strategy," the company said. "The transactions enable the Company to build a better, higher growth, lower risk, end-to-end business and deliver substantial benefits to shareholders." Chair Pip Greenwood said the acquisition and divestment has allowed the company to look at its capital needs, and planned a $300m special dividend to shareholders after the deals were completed and it obtained the necessary Chinese approvals. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
