Department stores: are their days numbered?

I'm not really much of a shopper, especially when it comes to clothes. I really dislike the experience of browsing for and trying on clothing. I don't mind browsing for books of course, but when it comes to clothing I like to get in and out as quickly and painlessly as possible. I'm also not one for haggling at markets - I enjoy the colour and activity of a foreign market environment, but when it comes to actually buying something I feel much more comfortable with a fixed price, thank you, and I prefer to try my clothes on in the air conditioned privacy of a change room with a good mirror.

These are some of the reasons that I like the department store and its everything-under-one-roof concept. When I say department store, I mean the old fashioned, service focussed, mass emporium of awe inspiring variety and choice - not the trumped up discount chain stores that pass as "department stores" today. I mean the kind of place with a food hall in the basement (or on the top floor, as they often seem to be in continental Europe) and reassuringly knowledgable sales staff who know their products and don't think twice about whipping out a tape measure to take your inner thigh measurements to get you the right suit pants. Sadly, it seems that this fabulous creation - the department store - is dying out, a victim not only of changing retail tastes and a failure to keep pace with those changing tastes, but also of the increasingly low margins provided by a shop that sells "everything" and requires a lot of expensive floor space to do so. Even in Japan, department stores are losing favour (except for their food halls, thankfully - I must say, I do love a good department store food hall - I think that will be the subject of a future post).

I like department stores. I study them. Wherever I travel, I visit the top department stores of the city and the mid-range ones (seldom the discount ones, as I have found they are all alike) and make copious mental notes about their interior design, product range and sales formats. I read extensively in the business media about their flailing fortunes around the world and in once reliable markets such as Japan, western Europe and the US. It seems to me that the department stores that are surviving are those, such as the two remaining chains in Australia (David Jones and Myer) which enjoy a duopoly market, or those in Hong Kong (Lane Crawford, Hong Kong Seibu, Hong Kong Sogo) which have (a) reinvented themselves primarily as purveyors of high-end fashion and luxury homewares and cosmetics, and (b) adopted very trendy, modern and quite chic interior designs that challenge the stodgy outdated notions of what a large format store looks like. I think Lane Crawford's IFC Mall and Pacific Place stores are simply the most beautiful stores that I have ever been in (mind you, in Hong Kong the standards for high end retail spaces are set very high and modern, gallery/nightclub-like spaces are de rigeur, unlike here in Australia where retail formats seem to me to be very outdated and boring). I'd also cite Harvey Nichols in Hong Kong and Bloomingdale's in San Francisco as excellent examples of modern, forward-looking and exciting interiors for department store concepts.

It has to be said though that these examples are the exceptions. I admit that I was pretty unimpressed with the famous Printemps and Galeries Lafayette stores in Paris (though I do like the Galeries Lafayette store in Berlin, housed in a stunning Jean Nouvel building and feauturing a marevelous conical inverted dome flooding the store with natural light - I especially love its intimate food hall). These Paris grands margasins are large but tired and boring in their design. Who would want to go to them, outside of sales periods, when there are so many more interesting boutiques all over Paris, many of them providing a far more pleasing and better designed shopping environment?

It's the same in Germany. I love the food hall at KaDeWe - I love its three champagne bars, the fact that any food from any corner of the globe is available there any time of the day, I love everything about it. But the rest of the store is pretty bland in terms of design and product - the problem with peddling luxury these days is that luxury is available everywhere, so it is no longer the sole domain of high end department stores. KaDeWe apparently still turns a profit, but is up for sale anyway as its owner plans to focus on the larger, but often troubled mid-range Karstadt chain. I think KaDaWe will survive, unlike other famous German department stores which are closing.

Department stores in Japan are having a tougher time. The expansion of Japanese deparment stores into Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia was ultimately unsuccessful and led to the withdrawal of all Japanese-owned department stores from those markets (I think there may still be a few of them in the US, Paris and London, and that they are also trying to get into China - like every other retailer is trying to do). At home, it seems the department store concept which has dominated Japanese retailing for hundreds of years is declining in popularity with ever decreasing retail market shares and subsequent ever decreasing profit margins for their huge premises.

In Singapore, which seems to be constantly building new shopping malls, the latest shopping malls have pointedly decided to ditch department stores - once considered vital "anchor" tenants for any shopping centre but now despised by landlords for the lower rents they pay per square metre and the realisation that they no longer attract the shoppers. Basically, department stores usually pay a lower per square metre rent, in recognition of their "anchor" role and necessary for their financial success because they require such large floor spaces; recently developers have discovered they can get more per square metre if they forget about the department stores. This effectively blocks department stores out of the malls, and since most department stores sold their own city centre properties decades ago and moved into malls, this creates a serious problem for the department stores - they face being locked out of the market. They can't afford to pay the higher rents for their large format premises, and they can't afford to buy new stand alone downtown properties - and even if they could, they may not attract the customers. From the original 1960s idea that a mall needed a department store to anchor it, we seem to be coming to a situation where the department stores need the malls to provide them with customers.

So what does all this mean for department stores? The evidence seems to suggest that the chain department stores will need to go down market to survive, and that there will be even further culling. We will get to a point where the high-end malls push the department stores out, and the low-end malls will only want discount department stores. I hope though that there will always be a space for a few "flagship" department stores at the top of the retail chain and giving an important sense of place to the downtowns of our major cities: every metropolis should have its KaDeWe. But maybe it will have only one of them. And maybe that will make them more special, desitnations in their own right, as they once were. For that to happen though, I think they need to raise their game and adopt the superior standards of interior design and sales formats evident in stores like Lane Crawford. We'll just have to wait and see I suppose.

Quality control for tea rooms

If you've read any of my previous post about tea you'll know about my dismay at the variable standards of afternoon tea services in Australia's top-end hotels. It seems to me that there is a need for some good, honest quality control of afternoon tea in Australia.

In Britain, the UK Tea Guild maintains strict criteria for memebership and publishes a guide book of its members. Membership of the Guild is a status symbol for high-end establishments in particular - it's like a five star hotel rating - and the membership guide published by the Guild provides a vital quality assurance service to afternoon tea patrons.

I wonder if the Guild could be convinced to open an Australian branch?

Afternoon tea review: Hotel Windsor, Melbourne

This is my most serious afternoon tea review to date. It concerns a Melbourne institution: afternoon tea at the Windsor Hotel, the last true remaining "grand" historical hotel in Australia (and in dire need of a serious cash injection and facelift - everything about this graceful old lady is faded, even if the bones are very good; the chair fabrics in the dining room in particular are quite grotty and ought to be replaced without haste). Today I took my first afternoon tea at the Windsor and admittedly my expectations were high, given its reputation. Those expectations were, while not quite shattered, certainly they were repudiated by the reality. My assessment: this is a hotel that is resting on the laurels of its reputation and history. On the Scott Scale, it earns only 4 out of 10, and that would have been even lower had it not been for the very high quality of the three tier stand presentation and in particular the pastries, which were easily the superior of any hotel pastries I have come across in Australia. Also, the staff were very polite and friendly.

So, if I liked the pastries so much and the food was so nicely presented (which it was, credit where it's due; also, I liked the white linen table cloths and napkins) and the service was fine, then just what, I hear you ask, was the problem?

First, there is the faded grandeur of the room, which badly needs tarting up, and those grotty chairs. Secondly, the sandwiches were very dull. Note the delicious looking sandwiches in interesting bread rolls in this photograph from their website and which I had been looking forward to were substituted, today at least, with some very bland, predictable (egg, salmon, cucmber) fingers on soft white Tip Top style bread possibly bought from the local no name supermarket. Thirdly, the scones were overly sweetened. Okay, sweet scones may be to some tastes. They are not to mine.

Fourthly, and this is by far the most serious problem in my opinion, is the rather shocking fact that the "tea" aspect of afternoon tea at the Windsor seems an afterthought. There is no selection of leaf teas. You do not even get your own tea pot. No, instead the staff walk around carrying huge pots of stewed tea ("Windsor Blend", apparently, and it is the same strong flavoured tea they serve with breakfast - I asked) and they pour it out to you one cup at a time. The tea tastes like the tea you would get on an airplane and is served in the same manner. When it is not being poured, the pots sit stewing on various hot plates at "stations" around the room, rather like filter coffee at large American diners. This utter disdain for the tea itself is unacceptable, particularly in an establishment claiming to do it better than most.

There is also the matter of the price. At $45 on weekdays, increasing to a totally unjustifiable $65 on weekends for what sounds like a rather over the top "indulgent buffet", this is one of the most expensive afternoon teas I've had in Australia or Asia. Yes, it includes one glass of house sparkling wine, but it is simply not worth the price given the overall quality of the experience, and certainly not given the poor attention to detail regarding the choice, quality and serving of tea.

The Windsor does not live up to its reputation. That said, my searingly honest and learned account of afternoon tea at the Windsor published in this obscure and little read blog will doubtlessly make not a shred of difference to the cash cow the Windsor has in its afternoon tea. On a weekday afternoon it was full, especially with women taking photographs of themselves and their food. Bookings are essential and I am sure that the hotel will continue to do very well for themselves out of this nice little earner they have got going. That is, until I do get around to opening my tea salon/champagne bar, and educating the masses about how good afternoon tea really can be!

Afternoon tea review: Langham Melbourne

Had afternoon tea at the Aria Lounge of Melbourne Langham yesterday afternoon. It's quite a nice venue, fairly cosy which is good for winter afternoons. We had the "traditional" afternoon tea (as opposed to the "chocolate" afternoon tea, which sounded rather too much, or the special children's tea, which was a school holiday special and which, according to the staff, had proven extremely popular). The traditional afternoon tea is served on a pleasing three tier platter. The food itself was not exactly exciting: the sandwiches were totally what one would expect (cucumber, egg, salmon) and there was nothing innovative or surprising about them, which was a little disappointing, and they were all served on bland, soft white bread, whereas I think some bread variety is a good thing to have on the plate. The scones were adequate; the clotted cream was very good. The pastries were pleasant without being overly exciting. There was a good choice of teas (including my preferred orange pekoe). It was very reasonably priced at $29 per person, and the staff were quite friendly although it was very difficult to attract their attention in order to procure a second pot of tea when one wanted it.

I must admit that in winter I would like to see a bit more variety offered - cucumber sandwiches are fine and well in summer, but it would be nice to see some little hot treats on a cold winter's day. If I ever do open that tea salon/champagne bar that I often dream of doing, I would have a seasonal menu and I think I'd also have an option for a purely savoury tea - sandwiches, scones, maybe some little baby quiche or something, and a little fruit is really all I need most of the time; often I leave the lovely pastries on the plate as they seem too rich and sweet.

But again I digress. Overall, this is a good, traditional, reasonably-priced afternoon tea experience in a pleasant lounge. It's nothing overly exciting. I'd say it's a very good introduction to the afternoon tea experience for a novice. On the Scott Scale, I give it a 5 out of 10.

Afternoon tea review: Grand Hyatt Melbourne

Today Tom and I took his parents to afternoon tea at the Grand Hyatt on Collins Street here in Melbourne. Recently refurbished and looking very posh, they do a daily afternoon tea which is $40 for the set tea (scones, sandwiches and a cake selection).

On the Scott Scale, I give the Grand Hyatt a 5 out of 10.

The room is a tad on the bland side and could do with a bit of colour to spruce it up a bit, although it is quite interesting to have a view into the totally open kitchen (although my back faced the kitchen). The service was fine, as were the sandwiches and the scones (although they only had plain scones, no fruit, which was a little disappointing). More disappointing was the limited selection of black teas. No Orange Pekoe, no Russian Caravan. How can I say this: two types of breakfast tea (especially the omnipresent "English Breakfast") is not really an appropriate tea to have for afternoon tea, and yet so many supposedly posh hotels seem to think otherwise.

The set tea was $40. This did not include a glass of champagne ($16 extra for a glass of Chandon NV)

Overall, it was a passable, but by no means superior, experience.

Is afternoon tea becoming common? And does it need a "modern twist"?

It seems to me, as I sit here enjoying my afternoon cup of Russian Caravan, that everyone has "rediscovered" the art of taking tea. After my last post on the pleasures and perils of tea I did a little googling, and found that not only is afternoon tea all the rage, but that ever more hotels are seeking to squeeze a profit, and some high class kudos, from this most gracious of rituals. Could it be that afternoon tea is becoming, shall we say, common?

My partner Tom once observed, I think quite astutely, as we were sipping on tea and nibbling cucumber sandwiches in the lobby of some five star or other somewhere, that putting on afternoon tea is almost mandatory for any hotel that wants to classify itself as being a bit posh. That is, if a hotel has illusions to grandeur (and accompanying prices), they'd better be able to put on a decent tea.

Of course it's not all about credibility. In her book "Hotel Babylon", Imogen Edwards-Jones wrote that hotels make a huge profit on afternoon teas by using what is otherwise a dead space (usually a lobby or bar that is otherwise empty in the daytime) and for a minimal outlay of some sandwiches and pastries they charge a massive mark-up and make a tidy sum in return. And why not, so long as the product they are delivering is up to the mark and everyone is happy (this is NOT the case with the Sofitel Melbourne and their very poor afternoon tea at Sofi's Lounge, which I highly do not recommend).

What I find interesting now is that many people claim to do afternoon tea with a "modern twist". Does this mean that guests are seated on Le Corbusier chairs, one wonders? It seems not. It seems to relate to funky chinaware and "non-traditional" foods, such as lobster blinis instead of cucumber sandwiches. How intriguing it all sounds.

The modern twist on teas has been spearheaded, appropriately enough, in England, as outlined in this article. I must say that I was pretty interested in the "men's afternoon tea" and the "afternoon beats" tea with a DJ at the Mandeveille and Swissotel Howard Hotels respectively. Mental note for my next visit to London there. The photo I have used here is from the Swissotel's website and I must say, much as I like wicker furniture and potted palms, I do find this rather cool room pretty funky indeed. Maybe tea with a modern twist is a good idea?

Tea rooms across the Commonwealth from New Zealand to Canada and even here in little old Melbourne, Australia claim to be serving their afternoon teas with a "modern twist", or perhaps more accurately a contemporary twist. The Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong also claims to do a modern twist on afternoon tea, although I am not sure what the modern twist is. With that decor though I am keen to find out.

More examination is required, by me, to determine whether the teas are in fact served with a modern twist, or whether this is some marketing ploy to convince high spenders that tea is not only for Mothers Day. And that is not necessarily a bad thing - I think everyone should enjoy the pleasures of afternoon tea, not only grannies. It is a dreadful social disgrace and tragedy that we ever forgot what a useful and civilised thing afternoon tea is. So giving it a modern twist can only be a good thing - so long as the fundamentals are still there, and for me that means a restful decor, good tea, and a good selection of savouries and bite sized sweets.

And for the record, I am not at all keen on the increasingly popular "chocolate" teas or afternoon teas comprising only sweets - to me, that is just simply too vulgar and ghastly, and not at all gracious living.

For some more information on tea venues in Melbourne, look here and here. For information on tea venues in Sydney, look here.

The pleasures and perils of taking tea

I am a self-procalimed snob and budding expert when it comes to afternoon tea. Here is a photo of my friend Lesley enjoying a gracious afternoon tea, prepared by me and presented in my gracious drawing room one typical afternoon.

Oh yes, I know the difference between afternoon and high tea. I know the correct ordering of a three tier platter (sandwiches, scones, petit fours). I have thrown many delightful and intimate champagne teas in my own gracious drawing room over the years. As for advice on how you too can create a lovely afternoon tea experience, here are my tips: (a) get some good leaf tea and learn how to make it well, (b) make yourself a good selection of sandwiches, (c) scones are hard to make well and require practice - I make mine by using cream and lemonade rather than milk or butter, (d) if in doubt, open some champagne and this will help you and thus your guests relax. This book and this book have some good tea sandwich ideas.

But I digress. Even more importantly than my own tea triumphs, I have studied extensively the presentation and delivery of afternoon teas at venues all over the world and I think I know what does and does not make a good afternoon tea. So much so that I am toying with the idea of writing a book on the subject, to expose all of those over-priced stuffy hotels that are ripping off ignorant people that know no better by charging them through the nose for inadequate afternoon tea ceremonies (Sofitel Melbourne is the major culprit in this category - my recent afternoon tea experience there was a dreadfully over-priced affair with uppity service by snobby and self-congratulatory staff who assumed all of their customers knew no better).

For now, I shall share with you a few of my more positive afternoon tea experiences and give them a rating out of 10 on the Scott Scale of Overall Afternoon Tea Experience, with 10 being equivalent to the sort of tea you could expect if you were invited to one of my little drawing room teas and 1 being something like the Sofitel Melbourne. There are three major criteria: 1, the venue must be charming and attractive (it can be a modern or old-fashioned decor, a library or a conservatory, that detail matters not as much as does the fact that whatever it is, you feel inclined to linger there); 2, there must be a good selection of leaf teas available - tea bags are NEVER acceptable - and ideally a little pot of hot water ought to be served alongside the china tea pot so individuals can lighten the tea to their own taste as required; 3, the chairs and tables must be comfortable but above all they must be conducive to elegant eating. This means upright chairs and high tables, not absurdly deep sofas and ridiculously low coffee tables. Oh yes, of course there is a fourth criterion: the food must be up to par, and all must be presented in little dainty bite sizes, not stupidly oversized chunks.

So, number one on my list with 9 out of 10 is the Peninsula in Hong Kong - the world's most perfect scones, a lively yet elegant room, comfortable chairs and delicious sandwiches. Not to mention perfect service. It only misses a 10 because it is always so busy and the queues of hoi polloi waiting for a table is rather off putting. So here is my tip: don't look for a table until about 5.30pm and make an early dinner of it. It was 2004 when I stayed at the Pen and enjoyed this lovely afternoon tea, but it is still seared into my memory as an almost perfect tea experience.

Number two on my list, with an impressive 8 out of 10, is Lovejoy's in the Noe Valley district of San Francisco, which was a total surprise find during my recent California trip. This tiny little venue has friendly service, a cutesy antiquey sort of interior and really very good sandwiches. It was one of only two decent pots of tea I had in America (the other was at the famed Fairmont Hotel, sort of San Francisco's answer to the Peninsula; I found its Laurel Court tea room pleasant, service attentive and food quite good, but it lost some points for a total lack of natural light and far too many loud children on the afternoon I was there; I did also consider taking tea at the Palace Hotel, which has a beautiful winter garden, but chose to go to Lovejoy's instead and really enjoyed the friendly, cosy intimacy of Lovejoy's so it was a good choice I think).

Number three is a tie between the Ritz-Carlton in Singapore, which gets 7 out of 10 for a cavernous conservatory sort of room, attentive service and creative petit fours, and the Langham Place in Hong Kong which also gets 7 out of 10 for its creative choice between an English or Asian style afternoon tea and pleasant balcony room overlooking the hotel foyer.

Number five is the Sheridan on the Park in Sydney which gets 6 and a half out of 10 for its small little gallery/library sort of room and a menu which includes an interesting selection of savouries that you can mix and match to make your own tea menu from at a reasonable price.

Number six on the list is a bit of a sentimental favourite: the Park Hyatt in Canberra. It's not really a formal sort of tea; in fact, it's a self-serve buffet, and the sandwiches are really nothing great to be honest. But the room is totally delightful: it is in the centre of this historic hotel building which is based on Frank Lloyd Wright's now destroyed Imperial Hotel in Japan, and is bathed in natural light and has restful garden views on both sides from its terraces. It really is a relaxing venue, even though it's right in the middle of the hotel's hustle and bustle. It gets 6 out of 10.

Number seven is a tie. The Four Seasons Hong Kong has a nice room, attentive staff, good food, good choice of tea. But why oh why the view onto a freeway? There is a desperate need for some landscaping to improve the outlook of this otherwise charming room in this very impressive, modern hotel. They get a 5 and a half out of 10, which would have been higher if someone had thought about the view a bit more. The Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong is as good as the Four Seasons, but it's a just bit too pricey and stuck on its own reputation, in my opinion.

Number nine is the Langham in Melbourne, which has a nightclub-feeling room and a good three tier platter with friendly staff but could enhance their tea selection. They get 4 out of 10, which is a bit harsh really but they have good scope to improve (unlike the Sofitel Melbourne, which sucks and is not even rated).

Rounding out the top ten is the Inter-Continental in Hong Kong. Average service, bland food, poor choice of tea - but truly an amazing view which does tend to compensate for a lot. They get 2 out of 10 for the view. Also, their chairs are not so comfortable.

Honourable mentions, mainly because they provide elegant and peaceful respites from the hustle and bustle of the busy cities they are located in the middle of (and this must surely be one of the prime markers of a good afternoon tea, truly allowing you an hour of repose) are the Exclesior Causeway Bay (though it needs a makeover, it's a nice break out from my favourite busy-all-the-time shopping district), the QVB Tea Room in Sydney, the Park Hyatt Saigon and the Caravelle in Ho Chi Minh City (this is a bit off topic, but they also have a great rooftop bar at the Caravelle).

This list not exhaustive of course - I have not been to any of the famous London hotels renowned for their afternoon teas, and I still have quite a few venues across Asia to visit yet. And of course, there are many teas here in Australia I have yet to sample and judge (the Windsor in Melbourne, the Observatory and Victoria Room in Sydney, and Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast are notable ones I need to try out), but you can rest assured that not only will I visit these venues over time, but that I will critically and honestly assess them on the Scott Scale and duly report my findings right here. Henry James was quite correct in observing that few hours in the day are as civilised and agreeable as the one devoted to the ritual of afternoon tea, but life is far too short for poor teas.