om Mecca, Stylerunner, Rebel and Billini shoes in the past month.  While there has been some concern from the industry around the slowdown in foot traffic in CBD areas, Incu CEO Douglas Low believes that shoppers will find their way back in the future, especially now that the government is talking about a potential vaccine coming out in March. “We are hoping for the best. If we’re at the bottom of it right now and it only grows, then I think we’ll be fine. I know there are a lot of suburban retailers that are doing quite well, but the city is fine for us so far and we’re happy with our numbers,” he told Inside Retail.  “We think the traffic could increase. Long-term wise, people will start to come back to the city because there’s a lot more going on there.” Low has also noticed a change in shopping behaviour in recent months since Incu first re-opened its stores in May.  “I think people are shopping with intent. There are a lot less browsers. We’re seeing sales conversion is a lot higher,” he noted. “We’re finding that in the city, during the weekdays, it’s definitely slower because workers are at home, whereas on the weekend, it’s starting to pick up quite a bit. They’re excited to be out and about and interacting with staff.” To celebrate the new flagship store, Incu customers will receive a complimentary Gongcha bubble tea with each purpose and Black Star Pastry is producing a limited edition cookie to mark the occasion. The women’s store at Incu’s flagship store. Image: Supplied The art of brand storytelling According to Low, Incu has started stocking product from more elevated designers including Dries van Noten, JW Anderson and Marni, prompting the team to re-think the way that it showcases its brands. Previously, all the product was “jammed” into the one store and it was difficult for customers and staff to navigate their way through the stock. It also wasn’t giving brands the opportunity to shine, said Low. “We need to do a better job of looking after and curating other people’s brands and we need to work in partnership with them. One thing we’ve done in the menswear store is [launch] a concept space. So the first concept area went in today with a brand called Stone Island. It showcases that brand properly and we’ve got some custom made plinths and a big floor decal to put a spotlight on that brand,” he said. “We want to work in a genuine way with our brands, position them with brands they want to be positioned against and treat them with the respect that they deserve. We want to work with them on things like growing their brand presence within Australia and make sure the the guys in our stores are well-trained to be able to tell those brand stories and the details behind their products.” The new Incu flagship store allows brands to shine. Image: Supplied There’s an art to buying and creating an edit of product and it’s something that the team at Incu continues to refine, even after being in business for almost 20 years. It’s a mixture of understanding the numbers, but listening to your gut and staying on top of future trends – while balancing the number of brands, said Low. “I think it’s something we need to get better at. We’ve always ordered in a lot of width. We’re starting to learn to plan in terms of depth. We’re carrying about 60 to 70 suppliers in men’s and women’s each,” Low commented. “It’s getting into really big territory, but although we could cut back, we still want to introduce new brands into Australia and we need to have a variety of product so it can appeal to everyone.”  Meanwhile, Incu is also planning to open a new store in Chatswood Chase in December. It currently operates 12 stores across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.