Retail’s submission to pressure from online shopping has hit Chapel Street, with “for lease” signs now dotted along the once-thriving precinct. The latest store to bow out is Australian footwear label Zomp, announcing it’ll be shuttering its 546 Chapel Street boutique, which opened in 1997, in July.
“After 22 long and beautiful years we will be closing our store at Chapel Street in the coming months,” the label posted on Instagram. “This was our first Melbourne location, so the news bares [sic] some emotion for all of us at Zomp and we will be sad to say goodbye. We would like to thank all of our wonderful Chapel Street customers, and hope to see you all in store before we close the doors for good.”
A spokesperson from the company tells Broadsheet that poor foot traffic along Chapel Street was the nail in the coffin. “The lease was up and it didn’t make sense as a business to continue on Chapel Street in the current retail climate and with the way things have been going in the area – we are surrounded by empty spaces.”
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SUBSCRIBE NOW“Bricks-and-mortar, as a whole, is struggling,” said the spokesperson. “But we don’t feel this in many of our other stores. It’s more that this area isn’t what it used to be.”
It’ll be business as usual at the Flinders Lane outpost. "We won’t be closing any other stores in the foreseeable future.”
To say goodbye the label is offering 20 per cent off all remaining new-season styles at Chapel Street until Monday April 22, and from April 25 until the doors are closed for good on July 13, there'll be up to 80 per cent off selected stock, with prices starting at $15. Remaining stock will then be shipped off to other Zomp stores.
The news comes just weeks after Australian label Kacey Devin announced the label was going into voluntary administration.
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