6 posts tagged “retail”

Ever wandered into a music or video store here and there are sections marked ‘A–Z’, ‘New Zealand’ and ‘Foreign’?
   The biggest section is the first one, and often we have the smallest section.
   Think about it though: shouldn’t everything not in ‘New Zealand’ be under ‘Foreign’?
   The other one I get a kick out of is ‘World’, which Borders uses. Shouldn’t everything be under ‘World’? I mean, if you have this category, there is no need to have any others.

[Cross-posted] Steve Leon at Springtv and his team ventured to Starfish’s store reopening at the end of August and have some great footage of the event, plus they get to ask the host, Laurie Foon, and some of the guests there (myself included) what we’re wearing. Here are the two videos from Lucire TV—the first of many under this brand. For the article about the reopening, click here. Thanks, Steve, Simon and Clare! (You can also catch these clips on YouTube.)

[Cross-posted] There’s a small snippet about Jennifer Hawkins and the spring–summer 2008–9 lingerie range from Lovable over on Lucire’s fashion index page, but behind the scenes we were given a press-release Q&A with the former Miss Universe.
   These tips purport to come from Hawkins, and it’s likely the beauty queen endorsed them. In any case, the advice isn’t too bad. Click here to read. 

[Cross-posted] H&M has been collaborating with top labels such as Stella McCartney and Roberto Cavalli for a while, and now, Adidas has launched its co-branded line with Diesel. Last year, we checked out the Diesel fragrances, and we’ve covered the jeans for ages, so this does seem to be the brand’s period in the Zeitgeist.
   Sold via Adidas Originals stores, the spring–summer Originals Denim by Diesel range includes two male and two female models presented in four different washes, beginning this month. Prices range from US$160 for the female Adi-rohnary model up to US$210 for the male Adi-viker model. Representing this long-term partnership, the range is branded by both the Adidas Originals Trefoil and the Diesel logo.
   Below are videos from the launch party in New York, and interviews with Diesel’s Renzo Rosso and Adidas’ Sport Style division CMO Hermann Deininger.

On the Lucire site in a few moments, but I thought I’d share it here first: Venus Williams launches a new fashion line called EleVen (geddit?), which will be on sale at an American chain called Steve & Barry’s. Maybe I am too much of a car nut, but I liked our Ford Verve video more.

Holden Epica CDXi

On my main blog, I have talked about the Holden Epica (née Daewoo Tosca). This is probably, uniformly, the worst mid-sized car on the market in New Zealand. I also happen to think it’s the ugliest.
   Last year, Holden began selling the new Barina. What it neglected to tell you was that the new model scored two stars in various safety tests. The model it replaced scored four.
   The new model is actually the Daewoo Kalos, which was withdrawn from the New Zealand market about three years ago for being, well, crap.
   Now, we have the Tosca. The Tosca is actually derived from the old Daewoo Leganza of the mid-1990s. In fact, the platform is older than the Vectra C’s, the car the Tosca replaces in New Zealand.
   The Leganza, too, was not the safest car in its day. The Australian testers, who gave it two and a half stars, noted, ‘The Leganza did not perform well in the offset crash test (0.9pts out of 16). The passenger compartment was substantially deformed. The driver's contact with the airbag was unstable. The passenger hit the dash, with a moderate risk of life threatening head injury. Protection from serious leg injury was poor for the driver.’
   To be fair, the Tosca, or Epica, is a lot safer than the old Leganza. But it doesn’t mean it isn’t junk.
   Many of the driving impressions that Australian journalists have done indicate that this car is the bottom of the heap. If you must buy a Korean-built car, go over to Hyundai or Kia. Both the Hyundai Sonata and the Kia Magentis fared better in at least one test.
   If you are buying a Holden Vectra—a superior car to the Epica—ask the dealer when the car left the factory. I have nothing to base this on other than an educated opinion, but I believe the New Zealand-market 2007 Vectras left the factory some time in 2005. There should be a way for a buyer to check the chassis and production numbers. My belief is no Vectras have left the German factory with the 2003-model grille for some time.
   I have been on Holden’s back about these cars for over a year, because I think Kiwis are getting a raw deal. Meanwhile, Ford, Toyota and Hyundai will be bracing themselves for extra buyers.