Kiwi retail chains that are no longer with us today

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Geek of Coastguard
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#3027565 26-Jan-2023 16:01

Mark 1 comics.... name Ive not heard in a long time :D But yeah, they were pricey but could be as they were one of the only stores that got the good stuff in :)

Georgie Pie.... my first job..... 3 years. Was about to become a supervisor when McD's bought them out and put a hold on all promotions/training. I bailed then....

XPD / Gavin

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SirHumphreyAppleby

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#3027575 26-Jan-2023 16:46

Doyles army surplus. They used to have a few stores around Auckland.

Georgie Pie wasn't sold because it ran into financial troubles. I don't recall the specifics of what I was told all those years ago, but I believe the powers that be at Progressive Enterprises wanted it gone, McDonald's wanted the land, and someone had the idea that spending more money on advertising would lead to more sales. We didn't need to be reminded about the Georgie Pie $1/$2 menu every single ad break.

As for McDonald's stopping pie sales due to lack of demand, I believe they sold better and for longer than they thought they would, but ultimately it was an orchestrated effort to show they still had some claim to the intellectual property they were otherwise not using. The pies were over-priced and shitty... McDonald's doesn't use MSG, even though it is perfectly safe, so they seem to have bumped up the salt content in the pies instead, leading to a horrible, salty product. They also never offered simple mince pies, preferring to stock only steak mince and cheese and the occasional promotional pie. Who wants a delicious pie with shitty McDonald's chips anyway? Georgie Pie chips were miles better back in the day.

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#3027646 26-Jan-2023 18:39

Kirkaldie & Stains.

Much missed. Not a chain but no longer with us.

Behodar

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#3027652 26-Jan-2023 19:08

SirHumphreyAppleby: leading to a horrible [...] product.

But what can you really expect from the company that can't even be bothered to flurry the McFlurry any more? I guess McSoftServeWithM&MsOnTop doesn't quite have the same ring to it...

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#3027654 26-Jan-2023 19:10

Hogs Breath Cafe, they have retreated to being Australia only

Also thinking of some of the bank brands we had: Trust Bank, The National Bank, Countrywide, United, etc

vexxxboy

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#3027660 26-Jan-2023 19:36

DjShadow:

Hogs Breath Cafe, they have retreated to being Australia only

Also thinking of some of the bank brands we had: Trust Bank, The National Bank, Countrywide, United, etc

i was with Countrywide Bank , they were great. They were the first tenant in a corner plot in Rotorua that every business that has moved in has not survived. Bond and Boned were there and the latest casualty was Dunkin Donuts. pretty sure it is waiting for the next victim .

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MyFriendAutism

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#3027661 26-Jan-2023 19:36

Dress For Less.

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#3027682 26-Jan-2023 21:24

vexxxboy:
They were the first tenant in a corner plot in Rotorua that every business that has moved in has not survived. Bond and Boned were there and the latest casualty was Dunkin Donuts. pretty sure it is waiting for the next victim.

That's this place is it? I wouldn't move in there either:

xpd

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#3027685 26-Jan-2023 21:35

SirHumphreyAppleby:

Georgie Pie wasn't sold because it ran into financial troubles. I don't recall the specifics of what I was told all those years ago, but I believe the powers that be at Progressive Enterprises wanted it gone, McDonald's wanted the land, and someone had the idea that spending more money on advertising would lead to more sales. We didn't need to be reminded about the Georgie Pie $1/$2 menu every single ad break.

Yes and no.

Part of the issue was they spent a fortune on the new factory in Wiri, but it was pumping out a crapload more pies than what they could actually sell....... so lets say they had 30 stores going through 59k pies a day, the factory was pumping out 75k pies a day. Over stock became part of the issue..... customer numbers didnt increase to take up the overstock.

XPD / Gavin

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kiwiharry

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#3027698 26-Jan-2023 22:22

allan:
Homestead Fried Chicken with their amazing roast potatoes. I asked the question in the comments section for the above Stuff article as to whether they were just Wellington and did they get bought out, or just went out of business. Most people seemed to think they were just Wellington region. Anyone remember them anywhere else? Apparently they wen into receivership in 1989.

We had Homestead here in Auckland too. I definately remember one being in Avondale and maybe another one in Mt Roskill.

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#3027701 26-Jan-2023 22:39

Uncles, 3 guys, Sounds...

Long ago I worked in I.T. distribution and there was a lot of computer stores, pegasus and dgicom and others, all died except one run by Pat, who would buy CPUs at $99 and sell for $100 and no one else could compete... Should have been the end but pbtech is still going strong.

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#3027733 27-Jan-2023 08:52

James Smith Department Store, corner of Manners street, Wellington.

D.I.C Department store Lambton Quay, Wellington.

These were both big mutifloor stores where you could buy anything from furniture, rugs, homewares, clothing, have a light meal and be assured of clean rest rooms, similar to Kircaldies above. Quality was excellent and customer was King.. way before the days of made in China.

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#3027739 27-Jan-2023 09:07

Bee: Uncles,

mmmm.....Uncles.

As a very young man, I remember driving to Hamilton with a couple of mates and having an Uncles takeaway in the main street at a ridiculous time of the night.

Fond memories of the toasties and chips.

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Lizard1977

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#3027741 27-Jan-2023 09:09

xpd:

Toy Warehouse

Man, that brings back some powerful memories. I think Toy Warehouse used to be on Barry's Point Rd in Takapuna. As a kid in the 80s, we used to get given money for Christmas from our grandma in the UK. Once it arrived, and dad did the currency conversion, we would get to take our money down to Toy Warehouse. In my memory, that place was like Willy Wonka's for toys - much better than Toyworld! Probably it was just me being a kid at the time, but it always seemed cavernous, filled with so many new and exciting toys.

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#3027770 27-Jan-2023 10:06

Lizard1977:

xpd:

Toy Warehouse

Man, that brings back some powerful memories. I think Toy Warehouse used to be on Barry's Point Rd in Takapuna. As a kid in the 80s, we used to get given money for Christmas from our grandma in the UK. Once it arrived, and dad did the currency conversion, we would get to take our money down to Toy Warehouse. In my memory, that place was like Willy Wonka's for toys - much better than Toyworld! Probably it was just me being a kid at the time, but it always seemed cavernous, filled with so many new and exciting toys.

Ooh, that just prompted a big 1980s kid flashback - walking down a whole aisle of transformers and GI joes getting to pick something out after (what felt like) a forever of saving up pocket money. I think the Wellington Toy Warehouse might have been in Porirua? Maybe Petone? I'm pretty hazy about transport as a kid: get in the car --> fight with siblings for indeterminate duration --> arrive at destination is about all I remember.

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