We’re not entirely convinced by Lynx’s efforts (especially as the brand says it will sell ‘100 cans exclusively through its Facebook page’ – an odd choice of volume and perceived exclusivity for such a low-cost item).

So instead we’ve put together a list of some of the best examples we can find.

A quick word on Lynx’s campaign first though; the company is a master at creating buzz – and that’s exactly what’s happening here. Lyle & Scott’s head of e-commerce Will Dymott explains.

100 cans is nothing. As a commercial venture it doesn’t make sense, as a branding exercise, then yes.”

Dymott said that many ‘stores’ tend to be a halfway house that show some products, but then click through to a brand’s main website. Ted Baker or Liverpool FC are two examples of this, which he suspects is them “testing the water”.

However, as we all know, this is a huge area of growth. Earlier today, Payvment revealed that since implementing the new ‘want’ and ‘own’ buttons in November, the Facebook-only e-commerce company has seen customers rise from 500,000 to 1.1 million without purchasing any ads.

‘Private sales’ network BrandAlley also said late last year that the success of trials using Facebook Pages means that it predicts 5% of revenue to come from f-commerce in 2012.

Facebook’s new Timeline apps significantly lower the barriers to selling through the social network, and new functionality within Open Graph and Facebook Connect means that ‘f-commerce’ doesn’t strictly have to be ‘on Facebook’ anymore.

So while this is still a young market, and for the most part absolute best practice is yet to be defined, some are clearly leading the pack.

We’ve compiled 11 of the best f-commerce examples for 2012, an update to our list from May of last year.

1. Ticketmaster 

In April 2010 Facebook itself has stepped forward to say that every time a user posts on their newsfeed that they’ve bought a ticket from Ticketmaster, a friend spends on average an additional $5.30 on a ticket to the same event.

Based on the success of this, last week Ticketmaster launched an upgraded Facebook app (as part of Facebook’s Timeline apps announcement) that integrates with Spotify to recommend gigs based on listening history, with the option to then purchase.

2. Delta 

Delta Airlines’ offering is not new, but it’s marketed very well and taps into a channel it knows its customers are active on. Hence why it’s still going strong.

It allows people to search, book and pay for flights within Facebook – which it discovered was popular with its travellers as it’s the most visited site from its in-flight wi-fi service.

Not only this, but the app is ‘portable’ – and can be embedded in ad units on third party sites – creating a convergence of social networking, e-commerce and advertising.

3. Hallmark

Hallmark’s Social Calendar app is also another simple example that’s been popular and in use for a prolonged period of time (in f-commerce terms at least). It ties in nicely with your Facebook calendar to send you alerts for friend’s birthdays. 

Simply choose the Facebook friends whose birthdays you don’t want to miss (you can also add dates and other special occasions manually) – then get reminders at the beginning of every week and month. Send a personalised photo card, a virtual gift or just a personal message.

4. Heinz’s Balsamic Tomato Ketchup and personalised soup cans

Heinz has been pushing the boundaries in terms of use of Facebook to seed new products, first launching an app to send special bottles of its Balsamic Tomato Ketchup to Facebook fans – which was then rolled out the US after a successful testing phase in the UK.

The personalised soup can app used a similar theory – that passionate fans love unique and exclusive products. People could enter a name of a sick friend and send them a can of soup with ‘Get Well Soon’ on it, choosing from the brand’s three most popular flavours.

5. Odeon’s transactional booking app

In November, cinema chain Odeon launched its Event Organiser app, which enables users to select films, view screening times and purchase tickets from within the brand’s Facebook page.

People can also create a Facebook event around the film and invite their friends on the network to join, meaning they can coordinate cinema trips.

6. Oscar de la Renta 

Taking a product-focused approach, the fashion brand launched a second f-commerce shop to sell four ‘quote’ bracelets exclusively on Facebook in December.

The brand launched its first shop a month earlier in November to sell its Esprit d’Oscar solid perfume ring, also as an exclusive on the social network.

Both apps are part of a wider strategy from the brand to consistently introduce new products through Facebook, and focus on creating a small group of highly-engaged users. 

7. Burberry Body fragrance launch 

Scott Galloway, New York University marketing professor and co-founder of think tank Luxury Lab told WWD.com late last year that almost 100% of brands cite Facebook as a source of upstream traffic. In an interview, said specifically that Burberry gets more traffic from Facebook than from Google. 

Burberry is at the absolute forefront of innovation within social media, one example of which is the launch of its Burberry Body fragrance last year. This example is no longer live, but it’s such a relevant campaign that we couldn’t leave it out.

A video starring CCO Christopher Bailey launched the scheme (see below) – and people could apply for a free sample via the Facebook app. Burberry then extended this to allow people to buy full-size bottles of the perfume, with great success.

8. Gilt Groupe

The members-only ‘flash sales’ site created an app that allows users to log-in using their account details and browse ‘must have’ items.

Content-rich, it combines deals, group and social buying, and f-commerce. As many commentators have pointed out regarding Gilt’s offering, for such a trends-focused brand – this is key to its success.

9. Pink Floyd

EMI has recently launched a Pink Floyd Facebook store, allowing people to buy two album bundles from within the site. 

Though it’s still within its trial stage, this is something the label has already done in part with The Beatles, The Prodigy and others. Pink Floyd’s shop is the first to allow fans to complete a purchase with leaving Facebook however.

The jury is out on whether this is a viable way to sell music, or if the fairly basic commerce functionality is just a duplicate of other channels.

10. Woolworths

Woolworths’ wanted to give its community of over 144,000 South African Facebook fans a way to shop from within the site, and create a fairly basic f-commerce app a few weeks ago. 

This is another newer example, so there aren’t any statistics to back it up just yet – but the content is clean and easy to navigate, which falls in line with the brand’s online strategy.

Nikki Cockcroft, head of online at the company, said that: “F-commerce forms part of our on-going three-year plan to make shopping with us even more convenient.”

11. Amazon with Facebook and Max Factor

Procter & Gamble’s Max Factor make-up was for a time being sold on a shop tab on the brand’s UK Facebook page, with the check-out taking place on Amazon. 

This is an interesting example, as the purchase wasn’t completed solely within Facebook. You’d imagine that Facebook wouldn’t want to relinquish control of the commerce aspect, and that Max Factor wouldn’t want to disturb its relationships with core sellers by going direct.

Yet the removal of any problems relating to logistics and fulfillment, combined with beautiful design, made this a great match theory. The fact that it’s no longer live however, and the page now links clearly to Boots and Superdrug’s websites probably says a lot about stirring up competition. That’s not to say that such a partnership wouldn’t work for other brands.

11 examples of f-commerce for 2012

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Tempted to buy a bottle of luxury brand perfume or aftershave at a bargain price from a street vendor?

Think again – the smell might be similar to the one being sold in an established outlet, but the liquid providing the base is usually urine.

"They use horse urine," says David McKelvey, from counterfeit and piracy experts TM Eye, who also explains how all fake perfumes, cosmetics and jewellery contain harmful substances.

"There are dangerously high levels of mercury found in fake cosmetics, while the brushes being sold to apply make-up often have lice in them," he says.

High levels of carcinogens such as lead and nickel are also prominent in fake jewellery.

Lost income

At a time when austerity measures are making people more prudent with their spending habits, shoppers are being warned to watch out for cheap items which might be fake.

People try to save money without realising that the purchase of counterfeit goods can actually harm themselves, the economy and ultimately, their own pockets.

"Cheap counterfeits undercut honest traders," says Grant Miller, from the UK Border Agency, who said that at the same time the government receives less revenue from legitimate duties and taxes.

Bargain hunters are tempted by low prices but they could be left with products which promote and fund crime – and which are also potentially harmful and inferior.

If there is a product to be sold and a profit to be made, you can rest assured that someone, somewhere, is making a counterfeit version of that product.

It was common for those illicit products to be sold from street vendors, although increasingly they are now being offered for sale on some internet auction sites.

Some markets such as Camden Lock in the London Borough of Islington have become renowned tourist attractions.

But honest traders with their successful stalls risk having their reputations tarnished when unscrupulous individuals use the market to sell their counterfeit goods.

Islington Council urges people to think twice before purchasing fake items.

As more people download films from the internet, fake DVD makers have turned increasingly to porn

"The last thing we want is residents being conned into buying counterfeit goods as presents which then turn out to be poor quality and cause heartache all round," says councillor Barbara Sidnell.

She also points out that the sale of counterfeit goods is a murky business that is often linked to organised crime and exploitation.

Organised gangs are increasingly pursuing several different criminal activities at the same time and using the proceeds from each form of crime to invest in the others.

Most people would think there is little harm in buying a few cheap DVDs, but they do not see the story behind that person standing on a street corner selling wares from a sports bag.

"The fake DVD trade is used to fund people-smuggling into the UK," says John McCrohan, the trading standards manager in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

"The consensually smuggled illegals, who mainly came from China, are accommodated in overcrowded flats and set to work selling fake and porn DVDS on the streets of the UK," he says.

"The gangs behind the DVD trade set up DVD burning 'factories' in private homes and flats," he explains.

In those premises, fake and porn DVDs are manufactured and the street sellers collect them.

"When a Bethnal Green (London) flat was raided recently, two DVD sellers arrived having travelled from Coventry," he says.

Global cost

Mr McCrohan points out that in the past when markets in Tower Hamlets became flooded with fly-pitchers selling fake and porn DVDs, the sellers became robbery targets.

"Street criminals realise they have cash and saleable products on them. This causes brawls and disorder and the atmosphere in the markets becomes unsafe," he says.

Dealing with this illegal activity requires police arrest powers and that ties up considerable resources.

If anything goes wrong with fake goods there is no guarantee or compensation for the customer

The sellers are arrested, interpreters may have to be employed, and most of the people taken to court have no fixed address.

"Thus you have immigration crime, money being laundered out of the country, intellectual property crime and open widespread distribution of hard-core pornography," he says.

Millions of pounds made from selling the DVDs is spirited out of the country.

According to the International Chamber of Commerce, the cost of counterfeiting globally is $600bn (£386bn) a year.

Before anyone buys that bottle of fake perfume to give as a present over the festive season, they really should consider the implications before parting with their money.

Fake goods save money but at what cost?

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The Futurists were products of their age – they were modernists, obsessed with the glorification of speed, electricity and new technology, and also adopted some of the Nietzschean intolerance of weakness that fed so neatly, and dangerously, into Fascism; indeed the founder of the Futurists, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, was a supporter of Mussolini and a founding member of the Fascist party, even though he objected to parts of their programme. Their ethos comes through in this excerpt of the 1908 Futurist Manifesto: “We want to sing the love of danger, the habit of energy and rashness. We want to exalt movements of aggression, feverish sleeplessness, the double march, the perilous leap, the slap and the blow with the fist… Standing on the world’s summit we launch once again our insolent challenge to the stars!”

There aren’t many artistic or political movements that could claim to be so holistic that they applied their philosophies even to cooking, but the Futurists did so, writing numerous culinary manifestos, recipes, and even specific recommendations about how food should be served. Marinetti wrote upon the historic opening of The Holy Palate: “While recognising that great deeds have been performed in the past by men badly or crudely nourished, we affirm this truth: that we think, dream and act according to what we eat and drink.” In order to imagine and create a new world, they argued, they had to be appropriately fed for the purpose.

The Holy Palate was designed to accentuate the modern dining experience with a minimalist layout and pure aluminium from floor to ceiling; no aspect was to be left unconsidered, or unchallenged – and these ideas have permeated much of 21st-century restaurant culture, where decor and ambience are of integral importance. “Eating futuristically, one uses all the five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing,” Marinetti wrote in the 1930s. “Every dish will thus be preceded by a perfume attuned to it”, accompanied by “the use in measured doses of poetry and music, as unexpected ingredients to accentuate with their sensual intensity the flavours of a given dish”.

Their most notorious belief was the provocative declaration that pasta must be banned from Italy – a move that prompted petitions in its defence and even a street protest in Naples. The Futurists argued that pasta induced lassitude, tiredness, and self-indulgence: far from a patriotic pride in the nation’s most famous foodstuff, they believed pasta was suppressing Italians’ innate warrior-like mentality. “Everything in modern civilisation tends towards elimination of weight, and increased speed,” Marinetti wrote – and the natural consequence of this was the banning of pasta, and a cuisine based on a rapid succession of small dishes focused on vegetables, fruit and protein.

Preparing my own Futurist banquet for a few friends, in the style of the one served in The Holy Palate 80 years earlier, presented a few challenges. Of the 100 or so recipes in the Futurist Cook Book, circa 1932, many of the most intriguing proved to be the most ludicrous (“this is a new way of thinking, which everyone considers crazy” conceded Marinetti), or even impossible. You just can’t buy camel meat in my local supermarket – and I don’t have the right equipment in my kitchen to pass an electric current through a cube of beef before serving it. I was also dubious about the effects of filling candied citrons with chopped cuttlefish, or stewing meat in a mixture of coffee and eau de cologne. Next page

The Futurist Cook Book

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Thanks to her investment and the acuity of her management, Basle are the most powerful team in Switzerland.

Wednesday night’s game will mean a lot to Gigi. She is retiring as chairwoman later this month, bringing to an end 12 years of involvement with the club.

Basle need to be bold if they are to win as a draw will be enough for Sir Alex Ferguson’s team. Since the 3-3 draw at Old Trafford they have lost their manager, Thorsten Fink, to Hamburg — his assistant Heiko Vogel is in charge until the end of the month — but have kept their chance alive with a draw at Benfica and a win in Romania against Otelul Galati. Now they want to give their owner a fitting send-off.

Gigi is German, from the Black Forest region. She grew up a keen gymnast and ended up training to be a physiotherapist and teaching PE at a school in Stuttgart.

While working as a physio at a hospital in Bad Sackingen in 1978 she met a young doctor called Andreas Oeri. “He looked like a little teddy bear,” she has since said. Unsettlingly, she would later open a museum in Basle with one of the largest collection of teddy bears in the world.

Oeri was one of the richest men in the world — the Oeri-Hoffmann family fortune has been estimated at $13 billion (£8.34billion). According to some reports, they are the richest people in Switzerland. Gigi’s four sisters-in-law were the most important patrons of the arts in the country, so she needed a different outlet for her philanthropy (apart from teddy bears).

In 1999 Swiss businessman and Basle chairman René Jäggi invited an exclusive ladies social group to a game against Grasshopers. Gigi was immediately hooked. She joined the board that same year and by 2000 was the main financial benefactor. By 2002 she was chairwoman, running the club day to day.

The club had only recently been promoted from the second tier but with a new stadium, St Jakob’s Park, a new manager in Gross and Gigi’s money, Basle took off. They won the domestic league for the first time in 22 years in 2002 (hence the bath antics) and went on to win in 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010 and last season.

She worked closely with her managers, raised commercial revenues dramatically and placed real emphasis on good scouting. She attended almost all games, home and away, tried to combat the hooligan problem that was damaging the club’s image and still found time to help produce the Hollywood film Perfume.

At 55, and with health problems limiting her day-to-day work, she is leaving her role. But not the club. She will continue to run the state-of-the-art academy and has assured Basle’s fans that every franc she has invested will remain in the club.

Basle were only the second Swiss team to qualify for the Champions League, in 2002, but went on to reach the last 16 that season.

For Gigi it would be fitting symmetry to finish as she began, with her club taking on the European elite. “One should leave when the going is good,” she said on announcing she was leaving. “It was not just one reason but a lengthy process. If there is one thing I regret it is certainly not jumping in the team bath. That was one bet I cashed in.”

FC Basle v Manchester United: chairwoman Gisela Oeri looks for a fairytale ending to her reign at Swiss club

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He Says:Former New York Times Scent Critic Chandler Burr once described Clinique’s Aromatics Elixir scent as near perfect. And I couldn’t agree more. This interpretation dials up the verbena and rose notes. But it is the woody-chypre base notes that make this scent special. I can smell the vetiver (a personal favourite), moss, patchouli and the dark woods. It’s warm and enveloping. ★★★★ (out of 4)

She Says:Before wisely deciding to decant my lab samples at a safe distance from co-workers and conduct Sniff Tests from the comfort of home, I spilled a precious few drops of this retro elixir on my desk and hand. I promise you: Lady Macbeth did not rub out her damned spot as furiously as I did that perfume (fun fact: only rubbing alcohol gets such stink off skin and even then). But there was nothing to be done about my desk. The redolent floral chypre – yes, Bulgarian rose, but also patchouli, labdanum and oak moss oh yes and also sweet velvety ylang ylang, iris and vetiver – was a stink bomb loudly diffusing to cubicles in every direction and I was apologizing for days (such longevity erases any doubts I may have had that the ingredients are top-notch). The kicker was the heady, resinous benzoin; two months later, I swear I still sometimes catch a whiff. So pungent and purely, transformatively, hedonistically 1971 is this elixir that I would not have been surprised had Halston himself materialized in my cubicle, complete with entourage of Halstonettes and a few Quaaludes. There are some fragrances that embody their era so fully, they’re like a time capsule. This is one of those, and in a time capsule is where it should remain. ★

Still feeling sniffy? Browse the Sniff Test archives, here.

Sniff Test: Clinique Aromatics Elixir 40th Anniversary Perfumer’s Reserve

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I’m talking about big-name, big-shot wines that cost over $100,$200 or even $500 a bottle. They’re not like a Lexus, which atleast gives you a nifty package of engineering. Fine wine is morelike aesthetic arts or crafts: The qualities appreciated aresensory, and therefore very much a state of mind, not measurabletechnology.

In my mind, the most exciting wine you could possibly give mewould be something totally new and unexpected, because I craveoriginality as opposed to sameness; surprise as opposed topredictability.

And if there’s anything for which Lodi-grown wines are becomingincreasingly known, it’s their originality and total, wonderfulability to surprise. Who would think, for instance, that wines madefrom grapes called Tannat or Verdelho could taste so good? Althoughthese grapes have European origins, very few vintners in NapaValley or Walla Walla would think to grow them. They’re mostlystuck on grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay — which areperfectly fine, but not exactly a turn-on for someone like me, whodrinks wine for a living (yeah, somebody has to do it).

So if you truly wish to turn on the big-shot wine lover in yourlife, consider putting together a case of these 12 excitingLodi-grown wines:

2009 Alta Mesa Cellars, Lodi Verdelho ($14) —Cuttings of this grape originated from the Azores island of Pico,discovered by vigneron Ron Silva while visiting his family home.Amazing dry white with peach skin and lime perfumes, hinting atscented garden herbs like pineapple sage and lemon verbena; tastinglightly tart, silky smooth, stony dry. Find at Lodi Wine &Visitor Center. www.lodiwine.com.

2009 Uvaggio, Lodi Vermentino ($14) — WinemakerJim Moore calls Vermentino the “thinking man’s Pinot Grigio,” whichit is — stony qualities laced with citrus and dried herb,lavender-like notes; the potpourri sensations kissing the palatewith lemony crispness in a light, lithe, limber body.www.uvaggio.com.

2010 Riaza, Terra Alta Vineyard Clements Hills-LodiAlbariño ($19) — Lodi has been feeding the growing demandfor this grape with the largest plantings outside its home in RiasBaixas, Spain. Peaks of minerals and fruit in a bone dry, mediumbodied package; scents of wildflowers, honey, grapefruit,pineapple, even green mango. www.riazawines.com.

2010 Odisea Cochon, Clements Hills-Lodi Grenache Blanc($25) — Subtly crafted white exuding as much a naturalnessof fruit as pure, unadulturated intensity: billowing fragrances ofwhite peach, apricot and tropical flowers, with honeyed, melony,quince-like flavors layered upon silky, swirling, crispy, creamysensations. www.cochonwine.com

2008 Bokisch, Terra Alta Vineyard Clements Hills-LodiGarnacha ($18) — From a clonal selection culled fromSpain’s Rioja Baja — very fine, sensual, strawberry liqueur-likefruit, permissive in the nose, demure on the palate, finishing withdangerous whiffs of tobacco. www.bokischvineyards.com

2009 R (Jeff Runquist), Silvaspoons Lodi Souzão($24) — Few vintners bother with Souzão, even in itsnative Portugal (where it is usually goes into sweet fortifiedwines), and this luscious, dry red table wines like this make youwonder why. Black and Bing cherry explosion in soft, bright, almostlevitating medium body. www.jeffrunquistwines.com.

2007 Fenestra, Silvaspoons Vineyards Lodi Touriga($28) — Made from the “king” of Portugal’s Port grapes;here, vinified into a dry varietal red, giving sensations ofroasting beef, concentrated plum and blackberryish fruit in nose,with thick, meaty yet pliant palate sensations.www.fenestrawinery.com.

2006 Akin Estates, Christesen Vineyard Reserve LodiTannat ($18) — This South-West French grape is not for thefaint of heart — so dense and full you can eat it with a spoon. Yetamazingly plump with plummy, black fruits, faintly of leather,dusty loam and woodsmoke. At Woodbridge Uncorked Wine Bar,www.woodbridgeuncorked.com.

2009 Kidder Family, Lodi Syrah ($26) —California Syrah has become so unfashionable that you want tocelebrate when a winemaker like Aaron Kidder manages to plumb deepinto the grape’s intrinsic beauty — like regally rich violet andAsian tea-like spice perfumes, and meaty, fleshy, yet vibrant,silky sensations that fill the mouth without weighing it down. Tofind, Facebook Kidder Family Winery.

2008 Grands Amis, Elk Vineyard Private Reserve BordenRanch-Lodi Petit Verdot ($25) — Made from Bordeaux’s leastappreciated grape — a compote of raspberry and blackberry aromasagainst backdrop of allspice-like oak; taut, dense, yet sumptuoustexturing giving a compact, elegant feel. www.grandsamis.com.

2009 Michael~David, Inkblot Lodi Cabernet Franc($35) — From the “other” cabernet — a hugely rich yetsatiny smooth red wine with floral/violet-like varietal aromasentwined with fresh, wild berry perfumes and suggestions of smoky,roasting coffee. May be the best wine this winery has ever made!www.michaeldavidwinery.com.

2009 St. Jorge, Lodi Sobremesa($23/half-bottle) — Finally, something that makes a lightdessert in itself, vinified from the Torrontés grapes — a sensuallysoft, easy, discreetly sweet essence of pear and apple nectars withtwists of lemon peel. www.stjorgewinery.com.

Randy Caparoso is the multi-award winningsommelier/restaurateur and longtime wine journalist who pens theblog for the Lodi Winegrape Commission’s www.lodiwine.com.

Try a case of these 12 local wines as a gift – Lodi News-Sentinel: Randy Caparoso

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7:00am Saturday 10th December 2011 in Lifestyle

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Give the gift of good scent this Christmas. Lisa Haynes reveals how to find your fragrant favourite and choose perfume presents.

Could the days of the perfume bottle be numbered? Plans are afoot for a ‘swallowable perfume’ that turns skin into an atomiser, and Estee Lauder recently launched scent-infused tattoo transfers for a different spin on their Sensuous Nude fragrance.

But picture your dressing table devoid of your favourite perfume. Surely part of the pleasure is the drama of spritzing and those opulent bottles?

In the winter especially, your fragrance is as important as your sparkly party frock. A soul-warming scent can really get you into festive mode – and make for a pleasing stocking filler.

Antonia Bellanca, the perfumer behind Antonia’s Flowers fragrance, sets the mood: “Imagine a really fabulous winter’s night – you wear your favourite fragrance to go to dinner and then on to a party. Throughout the evening your fragrance mingles with the different smells – the wine, flowers on the table, tobacco smoke and people closest to you.

“That’s the scent I love most – fragrance after you’ve had it on for hours.”

Whether you’re scent shopping for yourself or a special someone, hit the high notes with our fragrance buying guide.

:: Festive fragrance Indulge in some sensual therapy to get you into the festive spirit. And ‘spirits’ are quite the tonic in fragrances right now, with a trend for intoxicating party-inspired ingredients such as tobacco, gin, rum and cognac.

Penhaligon’s new Juniper Sling (from £78) includes cinnamon, orange brandy and gin – you can practically drink in the heady scent.

“When it’s cold outside, what better feeling than wrapping up warm with an enveloping fragrance,” says Georgina Blake, fragrance trainer for KGA.

“Powdery musky or chypre scents create this effect. Something with soft, comforting ingredients like iris, or a dry, mossy, yet radiant chypre family would be great on wintery days.”

Think seduction, warmth and gourmand notes like liquorice, brown sugar and black cherry for a Christmas party spritz. Blake recommends a rich sensual jasmine fragrance like Bvlgari’s Jasmin Noir EDP (from £59) for the perfect winter evening scent.

:: Perfect potion When you’re seeking a stellar perfume for somebody else, the rules change.

“Don’t assume that your favourite fragrance will automatically be theirs. Remember scents react slightly differently on each skin,” Blake advises.

“Think about the personality of the person you’re buying for, as that will help you select the character of fragrance that best suits them.”

Many women gravitate towards a single signature fragrance rather than a scent wardrobe, so try and pin down a perfume that ticks all the boxes. What fragrance bottle would look at home in their bedroom? What kind of brand would they be excited by?

Perfume is one of the most personal gifts you can give as our sense of smell is so intrinsically linked to our emotions and memories.

Selecting the right scent for a loved one really shows you know them well, but if you’re struggling Blake suggests a popular classic fragrance. “Choose a scent that will appeal to lots of people; something fresh, floral and woody like Issey Miyake’s L’Eau d’Issey gift set (£50.50) would make a great present for any woman.”

:: Scent saviours Indecision at the perfume counter? You’re not alone. More than half of all people buy a new scent before finishing an old bottle, so it’s no surprise 58% use different fragrances for different occasions, according to a recent poll by The Perfume Shop.

When you’re buying for another, if in doubt try a sampler box set like Vivabox (£36.99) which gives a fussy fragrance connoisseur seven minis to spritz and a voucher to exchange for their full-sized favourite.

A box set featuring multiple perfumes is another short cut to a happy scent recipient. Estee Lauder’s Pen Pals gift (£34) includes three fragrance best-sellers in handbag-sized rollerballs.

Fragrance combining is the ultimate create-your-own nirvana for those that want a unique lingering scent as they walk down the street.

Blow the budget on Jo Malone’s Customised Fragrance Combining Collection (£230) or encourage experimentation with five favourites from their Christmas Cologne Collection (£62). It’s a sure-fire ticket to seventh scent heaven.

:: Perfume pointers Don’t be overwhelmed by the mingling aromas at the perfume counters. Get a nose for the perfect fragrance gift with these tips: :: Never decide on a fragrance by the first spray and intensity of the top notes. Let the scent develop on skin to give you a more accurate idea.

:: Ask the perfumery assistant to tell you about the concept behind the fragrance or ingredients used so you can bring the perfume to life when you present it.

:: Request a sample to give alongside your chosen fragrance and keep the receipt if you’re uncertain. Your recipient can try the sample on their skin first before opening the fragrance packaging.

:: If you already know which scent you want to buy, impress on Christmas morning with a gift set or coffret, saving money on individual prices and allowing your loved one to layer their favourite fragrance.

:: Don’t assume the smallest size of fragrance is the best value. It may be cheaper initially to purchase 30ml instead of 100ml, but the largest size is often better value.

:: Stockists Bvlgari: 0844 800 3752/www.houseoffraser.co.uk Estee Lauder: 0800 054 2444/www.esteelauder.co.uk Issey Miyake: 0844 800 3752/www.houseoffraser.co.uk Jo Malone: 0870 034 2411/www.jomalone.co.uk Penhaligon’s: 0800 716108/www.penhaligons.com Vivabox: 0800 9888 660/www.theperfumeshop.com Tried & tested :: Browhaus Lash Curl Up, £48, Covent Garden, London (www.browhaus.com/uk). Similar treatments available nationwide – ask for a ‘lash lift’.

During the party season, big lashes are everyone’s favourite beauty accessory. Bored of wasted hours sticking on false eyelashes for nights out, I wanted a more permanent solution to get enviable eyes. Step forward Browhaus’s Lash Curl Up, a lash lift ‘perm’ available at many salons nationwide. Browhaus offer two options, ‘the Barbie’ (doll-like exaggerated lashes) or ‘natural look’. Being a first timer, I opted for a natural-looking curl. The therapist informed me my lashes were dark, long but straight making me an ideal candidate (for maximum effect, a lash tint may be advisable for those with lighter lashes). First, my lower lashes were taped down, then the therapist used a small rod and applied a whiffy formula to my top lashes to curl them, essentially a perming solution. I was left to relax in a cosy reclined chair for around 20 minutes with pads taped to my eyes, which were painlessly removed. I’m warned not to wear mascara or cleanse my eyes for at least 24 hours to let my lashes set. The effects were instantly eye-opening – even make-up free – with the curl making my lashes look much longer and more visible. You can pile on the mascara for a more dramatic look. Despite the strong chemicals used to lift my lashes, I didn’t feel I lost any more than usual and the effects lasted almost two months. Goodbye eyelash curlers, falsies and glue, you’re surplus to lash requirements.

Buy it now Forget Botox, the bee-sting effect is the new buzz in anti-ageing. The latest product to hit the shelves brings high-tech, purified bee venom skincare to the masses. The Manuka Doctor Bee Venom range is available at Holland & Barrett nationwide, priced from £14.99 but the hero product to make a beeline for is the Rejuvenating Face Mask, £49.99 (www.hollandandbarrett.com).

Beauty bulletin :: Lip sorcery You don’t need to spend a fortune to get an A-lister look. Harry Potter star Emma Watson recently named ChapStick as her make-up bag must-have. In an interview for US website Style.com, she said: “I love ChapStick. I am like a purist. 100% drugstore, that does it for me.” The Original lip balm, £1.22, has recently been joined by limited edition Lip Kits in Cherry, Apple and Strawberry, £3.99, available nationwide and online at www.chapstick.co.uk :: Recessionista alert If you’re on a scent mission, make a stop at Boots. The store is offering up to half price off selected fine fragrance until December 27, including DKNY, Versace, Burberry and Calvin Klein. Christmas gifts in the beauty aisles are also three for two.

Read these Lifestyle stories

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Growing up in the early 80s, life was anything but easy. Before Sara was born, Stephanie, Desiree, Melissa and I lived in a small two-bedroom apartment in La Mesa, California. We all slept in the same room with hardly any furniture and no toys. Mum had Stephanie when she was 18 and then had the rest of her four daughters each with a different father.

Separated and alone Although we were half-sisters, we loved and looked out for each other. Mum was addicted to drugs and would often leave us alone for days while she was out getting wrecked. Being the eldest, Stephanie would take charge, changing Melissa’s nappy and tucking us into bed. When we were hungry, she’d take us to knock on a neighbour’s door and ask for food.

Twice a month we were split up and put into emergency foster care until Mum was sober enough to care for us. Then when Stephanie was six, I was four, Desiree was three, and Melissa was eight months old, a social worker came to our house and told us we were moving to a new home. I burst into tears and tried to convince the lady that my mum was going to walk through the front door any minute. But she never came home.

We were all separated immediately and I moved from one foster home to the next. By the time I was eight, I’d lived with fi ve families. I started stealing things out of bathrooms – like make-up or a hairbrush – I think it was my way of releasing the bad energy I was getting from the situation.

When Sara was born in 1986, I received a photo of her wrapped in a white blanket and that was all I knew of her. Two years later, I found out she too had been neglected by our mum and put up for adoption.

Amazingly, in 1989, Desiree and I were adopted by the same family and offered a life our mum could never have given us. We felt incredibly lucky. But despite living in the country, having horses, and attending good schools, we never stopped wondering about where our mother and sisters were. At night, I’d climb into Desiree’s bed and we’d dream about running away. The only photo we had of our mum was of her sitting in a wicker chair and I remember Desiree looking for that chair in people’s back gardens in the hopes of finding her. We’d draw pictures and write letters to her, even sending her money we’d saved from our allowance thinking it would bring her back. I thought if she knew how much we loved her, she’d change. But we never heard from her. Several times I set out to find my sisters, but was told by the adoption agency that I’d have to wait until they were 18 before I could get in touch. It was very frustrating.

Four years ago, I decided to seriously pursue my search. In a file I received from my adoption agency I discovered Mum had been living by a fake name and her real name was Jacqueline Dawn Nelson and that she was raised in Chillicothe, Ohio. There was even a letter she’d written apologising for abandoning us. It was heartbreaking to read, but it gave me hope.

Catching up The only surname I had was that of Stephanie’s dad, Dan Deardorff, so I typed his name and my mum’s hometown into an online directory and dialled one of the numbers. When a woman answered I told her I’d been adopted 20 years ago and that I was looking for my mother. She said she couldn’t help me, but before hanging up, I heard a booming voice in the background shout: ‘Who’s on the phone?’ When the man came on the line, I explained who I was and he told me Dan was his son and that his daughter, Stephanie, was looking for me. He gave me her number and it took all I had not to cry – I was so excited. I waited maybe half a second before calling her.

The first thing I said to her was ‘At last, I’ve found you!’ Initially, Stephanie was wary. She didn’t believe it was me and asked a dozen questions, like what my middle name was. But once she was certain, she burst into tears saying, ‘I can’t believe you found me’. After that we spoke for six hours, catching up on our lives, squealing with delight as we compared weird similarities. It turned out we both worked as medical assistants, we both drove a white Ford Explorer and we’d both named our daughters after each other. We couldn’t believe it.

I filled her in on Desiree and that she was in the army, I also asked about our mother. She told me she’d been in touch with her since she went to live with her dad because they were still in contact. At first, I was jealous, but then she told me that in 1991 Mum had been thrown off the back of a speeding truck by one of her partners and suffered massive brain damage. She now had the mentality of a 12 year old and could barely care for herself. Suddenly, the anger I’d felt towards her for all those years disappeared. Tears ran down my cheeks as I thought of what she’d gone through.

The next day, I received a file from the adoption agency with a list of names of foster families Melissa had stayed with. It was a total coincidence that after dialling the first number, Melissa’s adoptive dad picked up. Being less than a year old when we were separated and with no memory of me, I wasn’t sure how she’d react. But as soon as we spoke, we felt an instant connection like we’d known each other forever. We were shocked to learn that we only lived 20 minutes apart and agreed to meet up nearby. Although we were nervous, we laughed when we saw each other. We were dressed identically in jeans, a white T-shirt and flip-fl ops. We even had the same black and pink bag. For the next two hours we swapped stories – she worked as an events coordinator – and howled with laughter when we discovered we’d had the same big hair as teenagers.

The missing piece Although I had yet to find Sara, the four of us made plans to get together for a family reunion at our mother’s home in Las Vegas. Seeing each other again was the most amazing feeling in the world, but the first time I saw Mum was hard. Instead of being the beautiful blonde I remembered, she was now overweight with long dark hair. It wasn’t until we hugged each other that I recognised her perfume and my heart melted. She kept repeating how sorry she was and that she’d never stopped loving me.

A year later I was still desperate to find Sara, so I had the idea to contact a TV programme that specialised in finding missing persons. Then, in January 2009, my sisters and I were asked to meet the TV crew at a bookshop in San Diego. As we nervously stood in front of the cameras, the programme’s host pulled out a photo of Sara as a baby, then as an adult, and asked if we knew who she was. We all screamed. Seconds later, Sara walked through the door. She was this tiny little thing and when she saw us she burst into tears. When I put my arms around her, it was one of the happiest days of my life.

Later that month, we decided to surprise Mum for her birthday. It was the first time Sara had seen her since she was a baby. Incredibly, Mum recognised her immediately and they fell into each other’s arms. Then Mum turned to us and said, “You’re all so special. Thank you so much for finding me.”

Two years on, I’ve had time to get to know my sisters and discover similarities. Stephanie, 31, is the most doting, probably because she’s the oldest, while Desiree, 28, is private and likes to keep to herself. Melissa, 26, is the most spontaneous and Sara, 24, is just blossoming into a young woman.

Despite all of us living in different parts of the country, we talk to each other constantly and try and get together every few months – like when we all travelled to Colorado to be bridesmaids at Desiree’s wedding.

Finding my sisters is the best thing that ever happened to me. Just knowing that we’ll be sharing the rest of our lives together, is so incredible. Finally, I couldn’t be happier.”

Real Life: Sisters Reunited

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BY Alicia Waite | 19 December 2011

The rumours were swirling last week, but Chanel have now confirmed that model and front-row favourite Alice Dellal will be the new face of their ‘Boy’ handbag collection.

A sneak preview picture of the shaven-headed model, who is also a drummer for band Thrush Metal, has been revealed by the label, showing her being photographed by creative director Karl Lagerfeld. Dellal, perched atop an antique desk, dressed in a frilly cream Chanel dress and jacket, clutching a pale grey leather ‘Boy’ bag, is just visible.

“[Karl Lagerfeld] had a crush on this unique, charismatic young lady, who is both a model and musician, during a photo shoot several months ago,” Chanel told WWD. “This previously unforeseen alliance finally became self-evident. Alice Dellal represents the perfect incarnation of all that is unique about the Boy Chanel handbag collection, which strives [to be] far from conformist notions of femininity.”

Having previously featured in campaigns for Ermanno Scervino, Mango and Agent Provocateur, this Chanel appointment is not her first, but is certainly her most high profile. When it is released worldwide in March next year, the pictures will see her joining the eclectic ranks of Chanel’s former handbag models which include Gossip Girl Blake Lively, singer Lily Allen and actress Diane Kruger.

So now it’s confirmed, we can’t wait to see what Miss punk/rock Dellal looks like in a Chanel skirt-suit.

Chanel confirms Alice Dellal is face of new ‘Boy’ bag

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WELL MET: Doorman Tom Neve, 76, right, a war veteran, believes the touch of the Old World brings out the best in people. The store has been approached to sell.

A round-vowelled woman proffers a perfume-infused white ribbon. “Madam, may I introduce to you the new Elie Saab,” she says. “Darling, one for you too.” Her long, grey hair scraped into a severe bun and wearing a floor-skimming skirt and sensible shoes, she resembles a ballet mistress, a remnant of a long-gone retailing era of fawning and forced politeness.

But at Kirkcaldie & Stains in Wellington, the anachronistic language blends easily with the doorman gift-wrapped in Christmas colours and the tinkling live piano. Two women in fine china swap blue-rinse horror stories: “Mine’s very curly”, “But mine’s too straight”.

But the Old World experience marketed by New Zealand’s oldest department store is proving insufficient to save it from the retail blues. Sales revenue fell almost 3 per cent last year and the company’s retail arm lost $465,000 after tax.

Gone are the days when Kirkcaldies fashion shows dictated the season’s trends and any Kirkcaldies purchase was pronounced “correct”.

If it is to survive, the Wellington institution must modernise and seduce a younger shopper, and soon. The store is subsidised by the company’s property arm, which owns the Harbour City Centre, but shareholders for the splitting of to split the retail and property businesses. The revelation that corporate raider Sir Ron Brierley now holds a significant shareholding has raised speculation that the process could be accelerated.

Just inside Kirkcaldies’ front door is the MAC cosmetic counter, a window on the store’s possible future and the culture clash it will inevitably bring. Throbbing pop music drowns out the soothing Bechstein. There are tattoos and a shock of ruby-red hair. A taut-cheeked teenager is getting a makeover, barefoot. It’s a bubble of modernity floating, fragile, on an ocean of tradition.

For decades, commentators have predicted the death of the department store. Invented by the French, the one-stop shops were adopted worldwide in the mid-19th century and their names became bywords for culture and chic – Harrods, Galeries Lafayette, Selfridges and Macy’s.

In Wellington in 1863, young Britons John Kirkcaldie and Robert Stains founded a drapers in a warehouse on “the beach”, as Lambton Quay was known. Kirkcaldie & Stains was born.

But the list is getting ever shorter. In the United States, Chicago institution Marshall Field’s has been absorbed by Macy’s. In England, Barkers and Dickens & Jones have closed shop. Even in China, where the middle class balloons every year, Shanghai’s No 1 Department Store merged with a rival retailer.

Wellington has not been immune. DIC and James Smiths are long defunct and Kirkcaldies is hanging on by a skinny thread. In 2001, its retail arm had after-tax earnings of $2.1 million. Last year, it suffered a $465,000 loss.

Victoria University business senior lecturer David Stewart says department stores are squeezed between the extremes of boutiques and weekend-destination malls. They are old, middle class and “upmarket pedestrian”.

“I like Kirks, but only for certain stuff. I buy my [English] Frank Cooper’s Oxford marmalade there for $12 a jar – that sort of high-end stuff.”

Globally, some stores have parried tough times with radical makeovers. Selfridges opened a &pound;40m (NZ$80m) space-age Birmingham store in 2003.

“Shopping is entertainment,” said former head Vittorio Radice. “It’s not just about the product, but about the smile, the packaging, the whole ambience.”

Hence the 500 naked people posing in Selfridges’ London store in the name of art. Galeries Lafayette in Paris has opened a store within a store for younger fans, and offered free striptease classes in its revamped lingerie department.

So will Kirkcaldies be hosting nude art shows and slapping bling on its historical facade to lure new blood?

Kirkcaldies’ managing director, Englishman John Milford, hardly looks the man to do it, in pinstripe suit and conservative crest tie. Change, yes. Revolution, certainly not.

“You cannot change overnight, radically, because you lose your existing customer base and it takes too long to find a new one,” he says. “What you’ve got to do is a process of migrating slowly, and making sure you don’t give away the bird in the hand.”

There is no better illustration of the enormity of the task facing Milford than the $1.6m project to bring the store’s antiquated computer system into the 21st century, to allow the store to sell online.

When he moved from national retailer Pacific Retail in 2006, Milford was astonished to find that rather than checking computerised stock records, Kirkcaldies buyers still count items in the stockroom.

While the ladies who lunch might seem unlikely online shoppers, Milford is optimistic web sales will be a boon for the company. There’s undoubtedly an out-of-town market – Kirkcaldies’ sales soar during the World of WearableArt.

“We’ve got 150 years of brand reliability, loyalty. We’ve got over 70,000 people in our database, 60 per cent of them on email. How many online stores can start up and communicate directly with a whole tranche of people who actually know what the brand stands for?”

Ironically, online trading will be a return to Kirkcaldies’ roots, when the store printed mail-order catalogues and shipped the latest fineries to wealthy rural customers. But a pretty website and online sales will not save Kirkcaldies. Milford realises change is needed to encourage more younger faces – the lucrative post-university, pre-baby crowd, with high-fashion tastes and fast-opening wallets.

This is not a new revelation. In the 1920s and 30s, Kirkcaldies struggled with poor profits and ageing customers.

“I cannot understand why no provision has been made to cater for the younger girl and the average flapper,” managing director J Crosser complained in 1932. “About 75 per cent of the total trade done by the shopping public is covered by women folk between 18 and 35, so you can gain some idea of how much trade we are missing.”

The revamp has already begun, quietly. Australian brand Witchery has moved in upstairs and edgy Trelise Cooper offshoot COOP has just signed on, but they, like MAC, must learn to co-exist with tradition. Because that, says Milford, is not negotiable.

“Younger people come in and say, ‘The doorman is old-fashioned. The lady playing the piano is old-fashioned. Why do we have so many people selling stuff in the store? That’s all old-fashioned.’

“I say, ‘It’s just marketing’. The doorman, the piano player, the birds, the quality of service, the fact that on the shop floor we call each other by our surnames – it’s marketing. It’s what our brand is. I don’t think it is old-fashioned. The fact we have someone who opens the door, it’s the start of the experience we create at Kirks.”

That doorman is Tom Neve, 76, a war veteran and Kirks veteran of 12 years.

“It’s like being on stage. You dress up and act the part,” he says.

Neve removes his top hat and mops his head. Tufted white hair creeps towards a hearing aid, but he is bright and chatty and talks about the regulars like old friends. He believes the touch of the Old World brings out the best in people. “You see a man come along with his wife. He sees me and all of a sudden his manners come out: he puts her in front. It’s quite funny.”

Neve recognises the need for balance between modernity and tradition, and he is optimistic Kirkcaldies will survive.

“There would be such an outcry about it. This is where Mrs Khandallah and Mrs Karori shop. If they don’t like something, they will tell you. They will go as far as saying, ‘I’m a shareholder’.”

The staff are clearly what sets Kirkcaldies apart – all 280 of them. Although Milford intends to trim office costs, there are no plans to cut staff numbers. In an age of ever-diminishing sales service, lingerie sales assistant Anne Coventry, 62, can spend an hour measuring, fitting and ferrying bras.

She has been here 16 years, seen the advent of eftpos and seen retail get tougher and tougher. Her son works in dispatch downstairs.

She fields bamboo cotton singlet inquiries from a grey-haired granny and passes neon butterfly-print first bras to nervous teenagers dragged in by mum.

“I fitted a customer this morning, a lady complaining that her bras were uncomfortable. I knew the bra straight away that I thought would work. She bought three.”

She doubts department stores are dead, but believes there’s room for improvement: livelier music and better marketing to convince shoppers Kirkcaldies isn’t expensive – a point reiterated by Neve and Milford.

Eddy Meyer has something more radical in mind. With rose tattoos on his forearm, a black beanie, skinny rock-star black jeans and a World Aids Day red ribbon painted on his cheek, the 27-year-old MAC cosmetics studio manager inhabits a parallel universe to Coventry.

Backed by booming beats, Meyer tells of the “difficult” first years of culture clash: 15-year-olds paying $90 to look like Kim Kardashian or Katy Perry, rugby sevens spectators getting crazy costume makeovers. “Kirkcaldies is very traditional in its ways, and MAC is everything but traditional.”

The Frenchman, who has worked at Parisian department stores Printemps and Galeries Lafayette, gushes about the marriage of tradition and “something a bit fresh, young and crazy like MAC”.

He says Kirkcaldies must extend the edgy into the rest of the store.

“Galeries Lafayette has a store within a store, with all the trendiest, hippest brands you can find. I think if Kirkcaldies really wants to reach new customers, it will have to do something like that.”

Blak designer Teresa Hodges, who sells her clothes through hip boutique Good as Gold, illustrates his point.

Luxury department stores, she says, still have a magic, but she shops there only for underwear and makeup.

“I love the MAC counter. If I’m looking for anything else, I’ll go to a boutique or look online for a more exclusive or unusual piece.”

Just how quickly Kirkcaldies must reverse its retail slump could depend on shareholders.

In February, shareholder Elevation Capital urged Kirkcaldies’ chairman Falcon Clouston to consider splitting the retail and property businesses.

The total value of Kirkcaldies shares has historically been less than the value of the Harbour City Centre it owns, making selling off the property arm an attractive prospect for shareholders. A company controlled by Sir Selwyn Cushing increased its stake in Kirkcaldies to 17 per cent in June, and former Brierley Investment colleague Sir Ron Brierley revealed in September that he owned 5.7 per cent.

Cushing’s son David and Brierley himself both say they are “open-minded” about the company’s future and insist that they have no plans to push for a company split at the February annual general meeting.

Brierley concedes “the profitability of the store is a problem”. However, he calls Kirkcaldies “a Wellington icon” and “a very nice little store, particularly by New Zealand standards”, and believes it would be “regrettable” if it disappeared.

Cushing says Kirkcaldies comprises two “really good businesses, but totally different businesses’. Although he says he is open-minded, he expects the directors to “maximise value for all shareholders”, and is contemplating attending the annual meeting.

He also insists there is still a place for Kirkcaldies’ “brilliant” store.

“I’ve just been in London and I spent a good few hours in Harrods. I think department stores are tremendous, with really good merchandise and really attentive staff. It’s been there for 100 years. It must have some future.”

Milford makes no secret of the fact that the company is tidying up its property assets, but says it is not yet ready to sell.

It is 85 per cent through earthquake strengthening the front building and is still freeing up the development site behind, which could accommodate a 75-metre-high building.

So what happens if the property arm is sold?

“What it means is the retail business has to be sustainable. Otherwise, it won’t stay in business.”

So does it matter if Kirkcaldies’ imposing facade no longer houses a luxury department store in 10 years?

Dame Kate Harcourt says yes. While it no longer has the influence it did in the 60s, when she organised fashion shows that would dictate the colours and styles of the season, it remains a Wellington institution.

“I think it still represents quality, Wellington’s highest standards. There was a play I’ve just been in with a line it, ‘It’s like Kirks’ sale’, and the audience just went up. I think they have to move with the times. They can’t just rest on past laurels. That wouldn’t do at all.”

KIRKS’ ROLLERCOASTER UPS AND DOWNS

1863: British immigrants John Kirkcaldie and Robert Stains set up a “men’s hosiers & linen drapers” in a shed on “The Beach”, as Lambton Quay was known.

1864: Kirkcaldies’ first real shop opens in Waterloo House, with a general mourning department and mail-order catalogues for out-of-towners.

1868: New store opens on present-day site, complete with own cricket team and choir.

1894: Kirkcaldies pre-empts Saatchi & Saatchi’s Wellington branding slogan by almost a century, advertising “Absolutely and positively the largest, most varied and most complete assortment of ladies’ and children’s winter garments”.

October, 1898: Annie McWilliam pulls a six-chamber revolver from her coat and shoots at tearoom manager Ellen Dick three times, over a long-standing dispute. Dick’s corset prevents the bullet penetrating.

1897: Napier branch opens, but lasts only 20 years.

1916: Keith Kirkcaldie talks of the business’s “financial crisis”.

1920s: Recession and competition bite. DIC opens department store in adjacent block. Net profits fall from &pound;19,328 in 1920 to &pound;4666 in 1922.

1930: Bank of New South Wales warns Kirkcaldies directors that its &pound;5507 net profit is “to put it mildly, absurdly low” return on capital.

1931: Worst year ever, with 38,000-pound trading loss. New managing director speaks of need to appeal to younger customers. Forty staff sacked in a day.

1940s: Fortunes improve: net profits rise from 14,301 pounds in 1941 to 32,263 pounds in 1945.

1958: Peter Kirkcaldie leaves board and management, ending the family’s 96-year connection. The Queen Mother buys a handbag for 6 pounds 15s.

1988: First Kirks Christmas shop opens.

1993: Rival department store James Smith closes down.

September, 2011: Sir Ron Brierley declares a 5.7 per cent stake in Kirkcaldies. Says the store’s profitability is a problem, but it would be “regrettable” for Kirks to close.

Source: Kirkcaldies & Stains – A Wellington Story by Julia Millen

– © Fairfax NZ News

It’s not surprise Kirks is waning. The staff are such awful stuffy snobs and their service is only good if you ‘look’ rich. I have been there many times with friends who are only willing to spend their money but have been deterred by the ladies behind the counter who despite their status as shop girl have the entitlement and judgement of debutantes. The decline of Kirks seems much deserved.

Kirkcaldie and Stains’ quiet revolution

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