New research released this month has ranked what Australians look for in an ideal city heart – and the answers might surprise you.
The research is led by retail and marketing academic Dr Louise Grimmer from the University of Tasmania, who is also leading a new pilot program in Ipswich Central centred around embracing and enhancing the visual merchandising of businesses.
The new research is thought to be the first academically-based, empirical Australian study to ask shoppers what they consider contributes to the ideal main street.
Insights like these are crucial for major revitalisation projects such as the Nicholas Street Precinct, where Ipswich City Council, developers and businesses are investing considerable efforts in our emerging city heart.
A representative sample of 655 shoppers from around Australia were surveyed about their local shopping preferences. From antiques to bottle shops, florists to hairdressers, dry cleaners to tattoo parlours, a list of 45 different stores and services were provided for participants to rank in order of importance.
Overwhelmingly, participants considered the pharmacy the most important store or service for an ideal main street. Across gender, age and location, pharmacies were consistently ranked number one.
Pharmacist Todd Slater, and his father Bob before him, have operated their pharmacy from the city heart of Ipswich for more than 40 years, opening their latest of four CBD locations in the Nicholas Street Precinct in mid-2022.
“The city heart, and the community here, have been very loyal to us and we in turn will always be loyal to them,” Todd said.
Restaurants and cafes came in second, with a post office, newsagent and bank also featuring in the top ten despite their growing decline.
“Intriguingly, four types of stores/services that are disappearing from main streets around Australia – the post office, bank, department store and newsagent – were in the top 10,” Dr Grimmer said in report of the research findings.
Ipswich City Mall Newsagent Pauline Williamson is familiar face in the precinct after taking over the newsagency in 2015, which has been located on the main street for 40 years. It has also been home to Australia Post services for the past four.
In the Nicholas Street Precinct, restaurants and cafes are filling the city heart with a wide range of cuisines and flavours to suit our diverse and multicultural community.
Bun Bun Bao, Sushi Hyo, —Stellarossa, Zambrero, Gelatissimo, Oikos, Miss Jackson Cafe and That Dumpling Place are the newest options to open in the precinct, joining The Rusty Nail, local institution Dominiques Café, and the popular Indian Mehfil in d’Arcy Doyle Place at the top of the precinct.
Next year, the Commonwealth Hotel and Venue will take the city heart’s restaurant and entertainment offerings to the next level.
While change is bringing new life to the city heart, it’s important that some things don’t. Just like the CBD’s long-standing dining favourites, local business Ulli’s New Age Rocks has been operating from Nicholas Street for more than a decade. Around the corner, the Nicholas Street Convenience Store opened in a century-old building during a once-in-a-century pandemic.
In addition to the types of stores or services on offer, participants were provided 21 elements to rate from not at all to very important, such as aesthetics, wayfinding, greenery, public art, and more.
Cleanliness, safety and security, and accessibility (including parking and walkability) ranked at the top of the list across age cohorts and for both metropolitan and rural or remote locations.
Importantly, there’s more to making a city heart attractive than just retail.
“There is increasing understanding that retailing will not continue to be the main or sole reason for town and city visitation,” Dr Grimmer said.
