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Smith & Caughey's

Smith & Caughey Ltd, trading as Smith & Caughey's, is a chain of two mid-sized, upscale[1] department stores in Auckland, New Zealand.

Smith & Caughey Ltd
Company typePrivate
IndustryRetail
Founded1880; 144 years ago (1880)
FounderMarianne Smith
HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
ProductsBeauty, Clothing, Homewares
Websitesmithandcaugheys.co.nz
The Queen Street and Wellesley Street West facades of the Queen Street store in the Auckland CBD

One of the oldest surviving retail businesses in New Zealand, it was established in 1880 by Ulster-born Marianne Smith as a drapers and millinery shop,[2][3] and is the oldest-surviving department store in Auckland.[4] Currently, it is mostly fashion-oriented,[3] with sections for jewellery, make-up and homewares.

Stores

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The company has two stores in Auckland; on Queen Street, City Centre, and on Broadway, Newmarket. The flagship Queen Street store occupies a Heritage New Zealand Category 1 Listed building, which was designed by American architect Roy Alstan Lippincott and completed in 1929.[5] The smaller Newmarket store occupies a building which was built by the company in the 1880s; the Newmarket branch initially operated under the name of Hugh Gilmore, before reverting to Smith and Caughey in 1917.[6]

The current official ambassador for Smith & Caughey's is New Zealand actress Antonia Prebble. [citation needed]

Proposed closure

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In May 2024 the company announced that it intended to close both shops and its online store in early 2025 due to the downturn in business which had occurred over several years.[7] A decision was made in August to continue trading by reducing the Queen St store from two levels to one and closing the Newmarket store.[8]

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  • The smaller Smith & Caughey's on Broadway in Newmarket 
    The smaller Smith & Caughey's on Broadway in Newmarket
  • The Queen Street store frontage on Queen Street, Auckland 
    The Queen Street store frontage on Queen Street, Auckland
  • The Queen Street store's Wellesley Street West facade and secondary entrance 
    The Queen Street store's Wellesley Street West facade and secondary entrance
  • The Smith & Caughey's building, on the corner of Elliott Street and Wellesley Street West 
    The Smith & Caughey's building, on the corner of Elliott Street and Wellesley Street West
  • One of the many large-format cosmetics counters at Smith & Caughey's Queen Street, for Dior 
    One of the many large-format cosmetics counters at Smith & Caughey's Queen Street, for Dior
  • Smith & Caughey's on Broadway entrance, Newmarket, Auckland 
    Smith & Caughey's on Broadway entrance, Newmarket, Auckland

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Perry, Keith (17 December 2006). "Christmas shopping kicks in a week late". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  2. ^ "Story: Smith, Marianne". teara.govt.nz. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  3. ^ a b Lewis, Penny (13 July 2005). "Smith & Caughey's enchanting celebration". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  4. ^ "Retail therapy: New life for old store". The New Zealand Herald. 7 September 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  5. ^ "Smith & Caughey Building". heritage.org.nz. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
  6. ^ Newmarket - Heritage Walk Archived June 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine (from the website of the Newmarket Business Association)
  7. ^ "Smith & Caughey's announces plan to close". RNZ. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  8. ^ "Smith and Caughey's confirms it will downsize, some jobs cuts remain". RNZ. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
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