Country Road on the right track

Jacquie Myburgh: There's a story doing the rounds that a few weeks ago, when Woollies opened the combination Country Road and Trennery store in Hyde Park, Joburg, its targeted takings of R150000 for the opening day ended up being a bit of an underestimate.

This two-in-one temple of all that is timeless yet exquisitely fashionable reportedly took R850000 on its first day of business.

And by all accounts, the place continued to be something of a feeding frenzy for quite a few days after the opening.

Good-taste wardrobe staples like brown leather boots, a leather handbag, skinny jeans and quality knitwear were walking out the door.

This week, there was still a buzz about the shop, with plenty of would-be consumers browsing and enough people buying for there to be a queue at the till.

Why I'm giving you this potted sketch of what's been happening at Hyde Park Woollies, is because the same kind of business does not appear to be happening anywhere else in this exclusive centre, and there must be a lesson somewhere in this success story.

The retail environment is still feeling the effects of the recession, experts say, and many brands report that their customers are "buying down".

What Country Road and Trennery have shown is that buying down, into semi-chain-store territory, does not have to be a compromise.

The brands have combined the boutique experience with chain-store convenience and affordability, and it works, even in the rarified climes of Hyde Park.

They've also brought back the vital service ingredient that most retailers, from the chain stores down, are missing.

I had a taste of it, as I drooled over that donkey grey, soft as silk, leather bomber jacket that, at about R3500, was slightly beyond my budget.

Then someone came to ask if I could be helped. Another sales person commented on my shoes and they both remarked how good they would look with the jacket I fancied.

I was not being stupid; this was salesmanship at its finest and I was being seduced into believing that I actually belonged in this store. Suddenly cost became less of a factor, as I started to calculate whether it was worth buying the jacket on budget.

When last were you offered assistance in a shop?

I'm not whingeing about useless or sullen sales assistants; I just don't know when last I saw a sales assistant at all - with a good or bad attitude.

Country Road has found the magic formula: mixing high and low, expensive and affordable, and adding a healthy dose of the human touch.

If that isn't a recipe for success, I don't know what is.