history of the ABC. “We wanted to merge the two,” she said. ABC’s retail division is made up of three formats; physical stores, ABC Shops; branded outlets, ABC Centres; and an e-commerce platform, ABC Shop Online. In 2009, the broadcaster underwent a national store rebrand, with the bulk of its redesign taking place between 2010 and 2011. “In around 18 months we opened new 12 stores and refurbished in excess of 16. At the moment, approximately 85 per cent of our network is with the latest corporate design,” says Hoekstra. Despite the flagship’s more polished look compared to its suburban network, it still retains several recognisable store elements, including the use of metal fixtures, a kid’s activity zone, and several reading areas. “The colours are very similar but the actual finishes throughout the flagship are quite high end. It’s those little finishes that provide that polish and little bit more experience for our customers.” The layout is centred around a mural in the middle of the store, made up of archival images highlighting ABC’s retail and broadcasting history. Another key design feature is an instore replica of the tiling throughout the QVB. Digital features include a designated kiosk – Find, Watch, Listen, Connect – set up instore for customers to browse products, listen to music, and watch DVD clips. The kiosk also connects users to its e-commerce portal, ABC Shop Online, as well as ABC online. Hoekstra says ABC is leaving no stone unturned, with its research to add more technological features. “We do have plans to introduce more [digital features] but we’re still researching what we think would be meaningful for our customers.” Around nine per cent of ABC Retail’s business is generated through the online store, with ABC planning to beef up its digital presence even more, as well as market to a wider demographic. “We are certainly very keen to reposition our entire brand for the ABC Shop, including all channels, physical and online. We want our customers to rethink what the ABC Shop can offer, and what it can offer the entire family. As DVDs and CDs make up the majority of the retailer’s core business, ABC is reviewing its product strategy and has new categories in the works as it competes against the growing competition of online and pirate downloading. “Certainly part of our product and category development is to counteract a decline in physical DVD sales.” This story originally appeared in Inside Retail Magazine’s August/September 2013 edition. The October/November issue, featuring Inside Retail Magazine’s annual 50 Most Powerful Retailers List is available now. For more information, click here.