CatrionaStore

Catriona's Store is a department store chain in Funia lan. While, the company only has five stores, its sales account for 15 per cent of all retail sales in the nation.

History

In 1876, James and Charles McRobinson arrived from Glasgow to Kings City. He was accompanied by his parents and his sister Catriona McRobinson. Charles McRobinson in 1877 established a drapery importing fabrics from across the world. In 1882 James McRobinson established Catriona' Store for Distinguished Women in Kings City. Aimed at meeting the needs of the newly developing middle class, the store aimed to emulate the grand department stores by the turn of the century. At this time Catriona's Store added a perfumery, pharmacy and men's clothes. Furniture, food and children's clothes followed and by 1914 when the company opened its second store in Port Henri, it was seen as the nation's finest department store.

The McRobinson Drapery was sold in 1886 to a Chinese trader Ah Lin. In 1905 the company became McRobinson's and then later in 1915 it became Robinson's.

Through both wars, the depression and Independence, Catriona's Store maintained its position as the top department store. Following polling of customers, in 1961, Catriona' Store opened its first subsidaries: Catriona Insurance and Catriona's Travel.

Both ventures worked well. In 1977, the company was rearranged with Catriona Insurance Banking Services (CIBS) becaming the parent company for the store.

In 1983, the company attempted to sell the retail store to Cowling Stores while they purchased Central Commercial Bank. The deal was blocked by Monoplies Fuñia Lan.

Catriona's Store was sold to a new subsidiary 39 per cent owned by Cowling Stores and 39 per cent owned by Statewide Banking Services called Triple C Holdings.

The 1980s were not kind to the retailer and standards began to slip documented in a series of critical articles and news reports about th e Store. Matters came to a head in 1991 with the formation of Friends of Catriona. This group lobbied and protested against what was seen as a failure by the owners of the Store to keep up the institution's standards. In 1993, the group took over the food halls in the Port Henri store to protest at a decision to close the food halls down. The 250 predominantly middle class protesters refused to leave until the management of Triple C Holdings had met with them. The sit in lasted ten days with the police refusing to evict them. The well prepared protesters brought blanket rolls and bedding and slept in the food hall, purchasing food from the store to eat. Management sought to halt the delivery of new food stuffs, an order which was defied by staff. The sit in ended with Triple C Holdings announcing the appointment of a new management team, the continuation of the food court and the sale of Catriona' Store on the Stock Exchange,

Triple C Holdings indeed sold half of the store in 1994. The new management team was successful in rejuvenating the store.

Products and services

The store's departments offer a wide range of products and services including clothing for all customer types (eg women, men, children, and infants), electronics, jewellery, sporting gear, bridalwear, toys, food and drink, health and beauty items, packaged gifts, stationery, housewares, home appliances, furniture. the store also has a range of restaurants, and a personal shopping-assistance programme known as "Catriona's Plus";