Arthur Barnett
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Arthur Barnett (often referred to as Arthur Barnett's) is a Dunedin, New Zealand-based department store operator.
As well as their flagship store in what is now the Meridian Mall in George Street, Dunedin, Arthur Barnett also had stores in Balclutha, Alexandra, Oamaru, and Christchurch. They also briefly had a branch in Melbourne, Australia which operated from 1970 to 1977. This branch sold mainly carpeting and furniture.
Arthur Barnett took over the ailing D.I.C. department store company in the 1980s. The D.I.C. had stores throughout New Zealand and should have proven a good geographical match for Arthur Barnett. In particular, the D.I.C. had 4 stores in the Auckland market, New Zealand's biggest. In December 1987, Arthur Barnett bought the trading assets of the three South Island stores and 50% of the 13 North Island stores which were run as a joint venture with Brierly Investments Ltd. Arthur Barnett Ltd bought the 16 D.I.C. stores outright in July 1988. The D.I.C. Stores were in Invercargill, Dunedin, Christchurch, Lower Hutt, Palmerston North, Wanganui, Hastings, Napier, Gisborne, Rotorua, Hamilton, Pakuranga, Henderson, Karangahape Road (Auckland), Takapuna, and Whangarei.
At its peak Arthur Barnett Ltd had over 1200 staff and 19 stores (the 16 former D.I.C. stores, along with its own branches in Alexandra, Balclutha, and Dunedin). However, the merger did not work well and all D.I.C. stores with the exception of Christchurch were closed within 2 years. By 1992 the majority of The D.I.C. assets were disposed of and the company was able to concentrate on its stores in Dunedin, Alexandra, Balclutha and Christchurch. The D.I.C. debacle cost Arthur Barnett around $NZ 20 million and as a result the company had to borrow heavily to help finance the Meridian Mall project in 1995.
The Christchurch store was re-branded as Arthur Barnett and refurbished within the High Street Mall development in the city's centre. The Alexandra and Balclutha stores were closed in 1995 and 2001 respectively, and the Christchurch store was closed in February 2006. The company now has only the Dunedin department store, which dominates the middle to top end of the market, specialising in furniture and home furnishings, fashion, cosmetics and homewares.
The Meridian Mall opened on 5 September 1997 with the final development costs close to $NZ 50 million. The flagship Dunedin store is spread across two levels and 13 departments linked by escalators, and has a more upmarket appearance then previous Arthur Barnett stores, although the floor space is only about half that of the old store. Arthur Barnett sold the Meridian building in 2003 using the proceeds to retire debt.
[edit] "Can't stop"
The advertising sign for Arthur Barnett is a prominent feature on the Dunedin skyline. Named Can't Stop, this neon sign features a small man trying to control a large horse, possibly a Clydesdale.
