Trade Aid Whāingaroa has closed its door permanently. Back in March, Trade Aid headquarters announced that it would be progressively shutting all of its shops. Since then it has been clearing warehouse stock with a 70% off sale.
Trade Aid Whāingaroa began life as the Waka Huia started by Eva Rickard in the building now used by Raglan Surf Co. When the Trade Aid movement expanded the Waka Huia became Trade Aid Whāingaroa in Bow Street. It was one of the most successful Trade Aid shops run by volunteers and a part-time Manager.
It was much loved by locals and visitors. It is a great loss to the town.
Like many other retail businesses, Trade Aid faced a challenging environment in the past two years. The cost-of-living crisis led to rising costs and diminishing sales, which significantly impacted on the organisation’s financial performance.
To ensure its ongoing sustainability, Trade Aid made the difficult decision to begin the process of progressively reducing its shops. However, through focusing on importing, wholesaling, and selling online Trade Aid says it remains committed to its purpose; to improve producers and farmers’ lives through providing them with a fair income and a way out of structural poverty, and to raise Kiwi’s awareness of fair trade.