Two more inner-city businesses close

Tuesday, 4 February 2025

Smack Bang pet accessory store will close at the end of the month.

Two more popular inner-city businesses are closing their doors.

Concrete Bar on Lambton Quay has shut down, with a representative of the NZ Venue Company confirming the bar’s closure.

“We have loved serving our local community over the years and would like to thank our loyal customers,” she said.

The bar on Cable Car Lane had lost foot traffic which it put down to public service cuts.

The bar is situated on Cable Car Lane, and was a popular location for after work drinks.

It was called a “halfway house for hillside dwellers and well-suited business folk” in 2014 by website Concrete Playground, with a comprehensive menu of tapas and larger meals.

However, a Concrete Bar manager had previously told The Post the venue’s foot traffic had been reduced due to public service cuts.

Hospitality NZ chief executive Steve Armitage said, when asked on Concrete Bar’s closure, that hospitality businesses across the country have had a really tough few years for a range of reasons.

Concrete Bar was a popular venue for after work drinks as seen here in this 2013 photo.

“Unfortunately, some have had to make the hard call to shut down,” he said.

“It’s a clear sign of the challenging conditions operators are dealing with, as rising costs and changing customer habits continue to put pressure on the industry.”

Another closure is Smack Bang, a pet accessory and dog treat provider on College St.

The store will close its doors at the end of the month, with February 23 being its last day.

In an emotional post on Facebook, owner Amelia Lingonis said the business’ closure was one she had desperately been trying to avoid.

There were a number of external factors which had contributed to the end of the business, she said, which had resulted in the store no longer being able to keep itself afloat.

The owner of Smack Bang owner Amelia Lingoni says she is “completely heartbroken” that the shop is shutting after eight years.

She thanked her customers and her staff for their amazing work and support.

“This shop has been my life and soul for almost eight years and I’m completely heartbroken that it’s come to this.

“But I’m so grateful for the experience and to have met so many amazing people and pat so many dogs.”

In an interview with Retail NZ in 2021, Lingonis said she was bored with seeing clichéd paw prints over dog accessory stores, so used her love for interior design to create Smack Bang.

Retail Association chief executive Carolyn Young said it was always disappointing to hear about stores closing, and it just highlighted the difficult economic times the country was going through.

“Wellington can be a little bit of a challenging environment where there's been a number of businesses that have closed, and a number of redundancies that have occurred,” she said.

“So that impacts consumer confidence and their ability to spend in retail stores on discretionary spend, and no doubt this has had some of the impact on the closure of the store.