4. What's going on with department stores, and how a small independent retail store pivoted during COVID-19

How to pivot a small retail business during COVID-19
This week Louise visits local Tasmanian retailer Katinka Dineen who owns and runs lifestyle and gift store 'Lily & Dot' in Hobart's Mid-Town area. Katinka chats about how she pivoted her business during the COVID-19 lockdown, the huge support she received from customers via her online store, the importance of supporting local stores, and what it was like to finally re-open her physical storefront. 

Find out more about local shopping during COVID-19:
Retail expert’s dire warning if we let coronavirus cause death of Tassie’s small businesses by Sally Glaetzer, published in The Mercury, 21 March 2020

Backing your favourite shop or cafe is just a click away by Louise Grimmer, published in The Mercury, 3 April 2020

Retail therapy after lockdown by Louise Grimmer, published in The Mercury, 27 May 2020

Department Stores
This week Louise and Professor Gary Mortimer were featured on ABC TV's The Business program discussing some of the challenges facing Australian department stores Myer and David Jones. You can watch the clip here.

Louise also recently presented a public lecture 'Rise and Fall: A Brief History of Department Stores' for the University of Tasmania's 'Island of Ideas' Public Lecture Series. 

And on the topic of department stores, Louise enjoyed speaking with retail expert Dr Jason Pallant so much last week, that she invited him back to share his persepctive on what the future might hold for Australian department stores. Jason is Lecturer in Marketing at Swinburne University of Technology with a special interest in shopping centres, shopping malls and department stores. 

He has written about department stores in The Conversation:
Death of the department store: don’t just blame the internet, it’s to do with a dwindling middle class

All this plus weekly retail news headlines.

*SHOPOLOGY originally airs as a radio show on Edge Radio www.edgeradio.org.au