After 102 years in Colombo Street, Smiths City is set to move its flagship Christchurch store to the vibrant, characterful New Zealand-owned establishment The Colombo.

It’s a new era for Smiths City, which has had new ownership since May this year and has a new CEO, Tony Allison, at the helm. “We got an insight that the space was available, we loved the owners, the whole vibe of the place, and we looked at the space and it just felt right,” says Allison. It’ll take its place among the boutique stores, arts cinema and euro-style bars of The Colombo over next few months, due to open in October 2020.

Tony Allison has been on the Smiths City board of directors since 2016, so he knows the business well. “As soon as I got here, it felt like a family-run company,” he says. Starting out as an accountant, he’s spent the past five years as Chief Executive Officer of Night & Day Foodstores, based in Dunedin, as well as serving as a director for companies like Dunedin International Airport and Otago Polytechnic.

Allison says that he sees the move as giving Smiths City a blank slate. So what can we expect from the new store? “We’ve been looking at how we can improve the customer experience. One big change will be that you can feel yourself at home there,” says Allison. He wants the space to feel safe, welcoming and not at all intimidating, bringing the original family-owned feel back to the stores. “We’re here for the everyday Kiwi,” he says.

It’s a big move for Smiths, which originally opened in Colombo St, Christchurch, in 1918. It was a far-cry from the computer and big-screen TV store we see today; the business originally sold things like grain, horses and cattle, and gradually expanded its offerings. “It was called Smiths City Market, it was like a DIY brand back in the day,” says Allison.

Moving on a century later, Allison is happy to let the new space dictate the direction the new flagship store will take. “You walk into The Colombo and it has character, it has personality, and we want to take on a bit of The Colombo’s character and personality in our new store,” he says. “It’s a blank canvas, a place where we can experiment and see what happens.”

smithscity.co.nz