ABOVE: The empty Rockmans shop in Casino today, Thursday, January 5. Photo: Noel Pascoe
Susanna Freymark
Rockmans clothing store in Casino has closed.
The shop at the Woolworths shopping complex is empty of the women’s shirts, dresses and trousers usually sold at affordable prices.
The mannequins, stripped of the clothes they wore, lean on boxes on the shop floor.
Since the closure of Target in the Coles shopping centre in 2020, Casino has been sorely lacking a cheap clothing outlet for women and children.
Best and Less is reopening in Lismore after the floods but a spokesperson said there were no plans to open in Casino.
Is the way we shop to blame for the closure of Rockmans?
In November last year more than six million households shopped online. This is an increase of half a million from the previous month according to an Australia Post ecommerce report.
The 2022 Inside Australian Online Shopping Report revealed 9.2 million Aussie households spent $62.3 billion online in 2022.
IndyNR.com contacted Mosaic Brands, the company that owns Rockmans, Katies, Millers, Noni B, Rivers, Crossroads, Autograph, W.Lane, EziBuy and Beme for a comment about the closure of the Casino store.
After many phonecalls and emails, no comment was given.
On the Inside Retail website, Mosaic Brands declared 2022 as its “most difficult period” to date for the group. The company reported a loss of more than $11 million.
Covid lockdowns in the past three years hit most retail outlets. Online sales increased as no-contact shopping became popular.
Rockmans, like most clothing outlets, has an online store. Casino was still listed as a shop on Mosaic Brands website today, Thursday, January 5.
What next for the empty shop? What would you like to see in the shop? Comments welcome below.
I am a person who does not want to buy online