Fashion Island to be Renamed

Fashion Island to be Renamed

The Nelson Central Business District will celebrate the renaming of Fashion Island to Morrison Square on October 9th, 2013.

Fashion Island Centre Manager Nicola Dolan says that the new name has been in the planning for over a year, and acknowledges the heritage of the Morrison Street entrance, better reflects the current retail offering, and was also the overwhelming favourite name of research respondents.

“We are all very excited about the name change, as it clearly says who we really are now; it locates us better and doesn’t limit people’s understanding of what we offer,” Dolan says. “Before embarking on this change, we invested in independent research and face-to-face focus groups, and we were rapt when the focus groups came up with our favourite name, before we had even presented it!

“For locals familiar with Nelson, Morrison Square resonates because we are on Morrison Street, which has been here a long time,” she says. “And not only do we have quality fashion retailers here, we have homeware, stationery, natural beauty products, and wonderful cafes and restaurants, so we are a destination for a wide range of Nelsonians. We are no longer just “fashion”, so we wanted a new name that better reflected who we really are.

“We have also built up a great community feel with the Wednesday Farmers Market, the success of our cafes and restaurants, and our various events through the year,” she says. “We want to keep being a warm and welcoming destination for both Nelsonians and visitors to the region, and we think the new name suits this goal very well.

Fashion Island tenants were informed of the name change at a closed breakfast meeting yesterday morning. They were supportive of the change, which officially takes place on Wednesday 9th October.

Holly Parata, the Manager of Rodd & Gunn on the complex’s Hardy St side says it is well-timed rebranding for the complex. “It’s exciting and the new name is more reflective of what we are and where we are heading."

Ange Broomfield, Manager of Andrea Biani agrees. “Love it, love it! I think it is fantastic and it works so well with who we are."

The owner of Columbus Coffee, Ian Brassfield says the brand is genuine and honest. “The name Morrison Square describes our link to the CBD really well. I really like it."

Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce CEO, Dot Kettle will officially open the new Morrison Square on Wednesday 9th October. “I am delighted with this positive news,” Kettle says. “The Chamber is committed to ensuring Nelson’s retail offering has a solid future and an investment in a new brand such as Morrison Square shows that the owners of inner city retail feel the same way."

The Morrison Square management and retailers invite the public to the official opening on Wednesday 9th October, and to the complex’s Project Funway on October 12th, which is being planned as a fun community day out, to celebrate Nelson’s newest shopping complex.

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Background information:

The current Fashion Island is the premier shopping square in the Nelson CBD, attracting a wide range of local and visiting shoppers, diners and coffee enthusiasts. It opened in December 2007 and is home to 25 fashion and lifestyle stores and eateries. The success of Fashion Island to date is thanks to its community approach and stable tenancy since it opened.

It is the base for the Nelson Farmer’s Market every Wednesday, attracting visitors from across the region. The complex will be renamed Morrison Square on October 9th, 2013.

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