Work started three days ago on a new Sophie Randall card and gift shop in Toorak. This will be our fourth Sophie store, the first opened in February last year.
This shop has its challenges: 60 sq metres, round in shape, 70% of all walls glass, two entrances, no back room and a column right where we don’t want it. It presents tremendous opportunities: great demographic, village shopping feel, being small, being right on the street and an opportunity to play with the Sophie model.
More newsagencies are developing plans which draw on the Sophie experience. We have a some fixtures designed specifically for us which some newsagents have installed in their businesses with our permission and they are helping develop good gift and social stationery departments. One reason we started Sophie was to gain experience which could play well in traditional newsagencies.