I'm an Aussie who's been living in the US for almost 3 years now and I'm amazed at how different the two cultures are, considering how similar they are :). I think the fashion chains have the name to survive, but it's the little things, like icecream and cookies, that will struggle. The preferred flavours and styles are just so different. For an intensely personal example, I haven't seen a Monte Carlo biscuit or anything like it for almost 3 years - I dream about the little buggers.
Bingo, I can't believe that a US ice cream chain would have any chance of displacing any of the a-ma-zing local gelati shops. The Gap, Victoria's Secret, and Forever 21 will probably do just fine though.
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Oh yeah and how frickin' shocked was I to see Tim Tam's under the Pepperidge Farms label a while back. Or that they've started importing Darrel Leah licorice!
Oh, I know you can get timtams in the USA at several specialty stores, but its actually cheaper to just send them from Aus even when you factor in the high cost of shipping.
To illustrate. A 200g block of Cadbury Dairy Milk costs $8.95 US from that store, or $10 Aus. The same chocolate costs $3 Aus from pretty much anywhere in Australia.
When I ship a box of timtams at a time, the savings are considerable.
The fashion chains do face one pretty nasty issue - different seasons... do they offer Aussies 6 month old styles each spring/summer? ... or do they use Australia as the testing ground for the US.
That issue is what has prevented H&M, Zara, Top Shop and many, many other European brands fast fashion chains from heading to Australia (one of very few Southern Hemisphere markets).
Hasn't stopped American Apparel. Not to mention actual high fashion brands who arguably have more to worry about with seasonal differences in fashion. Then again, I'm no expert.
Everyone saw straight through the farce that is Cost Co in Melbourne's Docklands area. We're simply not that type of "bigger is better" community. It's refreshing to head down to the Queen Vic Markets on a Saturday and still barely be able to move.
I don't think the concept of Costco is so much "bigger is better" but rather saving by buying in quantity and reducing stops at the store. If you have the space and don't actually enjoy shopping, it makes sense. (I don't shop there)
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Oh yeah and how frickin' shocked was I to see Tim Tam's under the Pepperidge Farms label a while back. Or that they've started importing Darrel Leah licorice!
Chocolate smugglers ahoy!
http://www.aussieproducts.com/contactus.asp
(They do mostly mail order it seems, but they have a storefront in SJ)
To illustrate. A 200g block of Cadbury Dairy Milk costs $8.95 US from that store, or $10 Aus. The same chocolate costs $3 Aus from pretty much anywhere in Australia.
When I ship a box of timtams at a time, the savings are considerable.
Import that.
That issue is what has prevented H&M, Zara, Top Shop and many, many other European brands fast fashion chains from heading to Australia (one of very few Southern Hemisphere markets).
I can understand this concern for very high-end fashion but it just doesn't make any sense to me otherwise.
http://www.smartcompany.com.au/retail/20100216-us-companies....
Significantly more information contained within.