Fans of the Rivers, Millers, Rockmans, Katies and Autograph brands will be pleased to hear a new store catering for their favourite designs is set to open in Kialla.
The brands will apparently be included in a ‘Rivers Mega Outlet’ on the Goulburn Valley Hwy.
A sign on the door of the new store says it will open on Saturday, April 20 and lists the brands on the front windows.
The labels are owned by Mosaic Brands, a publicly listed company that specialises in women’s fashion.
Mosaic operates more than 800 stores across the country.
It has closed many stores around Australia in recent years though, including in Shepparton.
In May 2023, Mosaic closed its Noni B, Katies and Autograph stores in Shepparton’s CBD.
The Rivers store on Wyndham St, in Shepparton’s CBD will remain open.
Attempts to contact Mosaic by The News were unsuccessful.
Two-event Tuesday
Two events, both of them with a marketing theme that could be of interest to Goulburn Valley businesses, will be held on Tuesday, April 30.
Business Victoria is hosting a free live webinar between 10am and 1pm, which will provide advice on the essentials of successful marketing.
Topics covered will include why marketing is critical for businesses, market research, strategising and using social media for marketing purposes.
The webinar is tailored for Victorian businesses.
More information can be found at Maximising Your Marketing - Live Webinar | Business Victoria
Meanwhile, a Facebook and Instagram “bootcamp” will be held at Bill and Beats in Mooroopna.
The Melbourne Innovation Centre workshop will be presented by the founder of Social Media & Marketing Australia, Jenn Donovan.
The workshop will outline a range of social media fundamentals, as well as key lessons on analytics and how to interpret key metrics to refine content marketing strategies.
The workshop is part of the Small Business Recovery Series.
Registration costs $20 and can be made at Events (melbourneinnovation.com.au)
Housing metrics tell grim tale
The national metrics aren’t offering much hope for a recovery from the housing crisis that’s impacting the country, including the Goulburn Valley, socially and economically.
Master Builders Australia says the latest building activity data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that at a time when the nation needs to increase its build rate, new home build starts fell 10.5 per cent to 163,285 from 2022.
“During 2023, detached house starts dropped by 16.4 per cent to 99,443. This is the lowest in a decade,” MBA chief economist Shane Garrett said.
“The final three months of the 2023 quarter saw higher-density home starts drop for the third consecutive quarter.
“A total of 62,720 higher-density homes were commenced during 2023 overall — the worst performance in 12 years.”
MBA chief executive Denita Wawn said the cost of delivering projects needed to be reduced.
“Since 2019 we have seen the cost of home building increase by 40 per cent,” she said.
The Federal Government and states and territories have set a target under the National Housing Accord to build 1.2 million new well‑located homes over five years from mid‑2024.
A shortfall in housing in general, and in the variety of housing in particular, has added a layer of difficulty to Goulburn Valley businesses and organisations’ recruiting efforts.
GV Health, for example, is forced to lease short-term accommodation to house staff.