1947 Ballantynes fire

On 18 November 1947 Ballantynes was razed by one of the worst fires in New Zealand’s history.^[9] In mid-afternoon, when the fire began, an estimated 250–300 people were shopping at Ballantynes, which had a staff of 458. The fire is thought to have started in one of the basements of the Congreves building. At about 3.35 p.m. staff member Percy Stringer observed smoke emerging from the stairwell to this basement. He went to check but on encountering fumes and hot smoke returned to the ground floor. He asked another staff member, Edith Drake, to alert the fire brigade and management to a ‘cellar fire’. Though staff later confirmed witnessing an earlier call, Boon’s call at 3.46 p.m. was the first logged by the brigade. The 10-minute delay in placing the call, or in the brigade’s response, contributed to the tragic events that followed. By the time the brigade arrived at 3.48 p.m. – undermanned and ill-equipped to deal with anything but a cellar fire – the fire was already ‘surging out of control through all the horizontal and vertical vents and apertures’.

A civic funeral was held for the victims on Sunday 23 November. Approximately 800 family and friends filled Christchurch Cathedral for the church service. The funeral procession was so long that by the time the last car left the Square, the first had arrived at Ruru Lawn Cemetery in Bromley, more than 4 km away. People lined the streets along the procession’s route and approximately 10,000 attended the graveside service.

A Commission of Inquiry into the fire found both Ballantynes and the fire brigade responsible for the high loss of life. Ballantynes accepted its share of responsibility, but other businesses would probably have found themselves equally unprepared. The Commission’s recommendations proved to be a catalyst for change ‘in the way public buildings safeguarded staff and customers, and in the administration of the fire brigade’. When Ballantynes reopened on the same site in temporary premises in 1948, fire alarms had been installed and a new pamphlet on safety was issued to staff. The first rule – in bold type – described how to evacuate the premises in an emergency.

Shoppers eager to get back into Ballantynes on the reopening weekend of City Mall

Canterbury earthquakes

The Christchurch store was closed for eight months following the February 2011 earthquake.^[10] Prior to 22 February, the company employed about 395 staff across its three stores, with about 300 at the City Mall store.^[11] The relatively modern construction and low height, at only two storeys, meant it was one of few central buildings relatively undamaged in the second earthquake. The Timaru and airport branches and online store remained open,^[10] and the Christchurch store in the City Mall was the first substantial retailer to reopen in the CBD on 29 November 2012^[11] and is trading as normal.

Christchurch

Ballantynes Christchurch from Cashel Street

The Christchurch store is a mid-sized department store on the corner of Colombo and Cashel Streets. The store was designed by Warren and Mahoney.^[12]

Perfume display in the beauty department

Current departments include cosmetics, men's fashion, men's underwear, travel goods and luggage, accessories, pantry, Floristry, stationery and homewares. The wider homeware department encompasses china and collectables, spa collections, appliances, kitchenware, glassware, bedding, and interiors. The latter include large concessions for Pottery Barn and West Elm.

Fashion Atrium, ladies' fashion, lingerie, and ladies' footwear are located on the first floor. The lower ground floor includes children's wear, Solace Hair and Beauty (formerly The Salon at Ballantynes), a Beauty and Events Room, Customer Service, The Registry, toilets and a parents' room.

An all-new cosmetics hall was completed by the time the store reopened in November 2012. The hall is the largest and most extensive beauty department in the South Island.

Ballantynes Christchurch International Airport

Other stores and services

Not including The Pantry gourmet food department in Christchurch, Ballantynes operates three food outlets. The Tearooms are found on the lower ground floor of the Christchurch store. Kin Bistro and Winebar is on the ground floor and JB's Café is located at the Timaru branch.

Ballantynes Timaru

The Christchurch store also offers a range of services, including 'Ballantynes by Appointment' personal shopping, Gift Registry, 'The Workroom' alterations and nationwide and international delivery.^[13] Ballantynes offers finance in the form of the Ballantynes Card store account card.^[14] Gift cards are also available.^[15] Ballantynes also offers extensive online shopping on its website. In mid-2012,^[16] Ballantynes launched Beauty VIP, a rewards programme for cosmetics in the Christchurch and Timaru stores, and at Solace Hair and Beauty in the Christchurch store.

The Timaru branch was first opened in 1883, but Ballantynes has been operating from the current location since 1913.^[10] The current store was opened in 1986.^[10] Today the Timaru store offers most of the major departments of the flagship store, on a much smaller scale.

In 1950 a branch store opened at Christchurch Airport the first of its kind in New Zealand.^[17][18][19] The store closed in 2019. A smaller branch also once operated at the Chateau Regency (now Chateau on the Park) hotel, the store opened in 1988.^[20][21]

Ballantynes partnered with Seasalt Cornwall (a British high street brand) to open a store at Milford Centre in Auckland in August 2023.^[22] In October 2023 they announced the opening a Ballantynes Select store in Invercargill.^[23]

Contemporary Lounge

Contemporary Lounge is a youth-oriented fashion store featuring local and international designers. The large store was an original tenant in the Re:START container ship mall. Opening in October 2011,^[24] the large Contemporary Lounge was located next to the Christchurch store, across Cashel Street. In April 2013 Contemporary Lounge returned to 663 Colombo Street on Ballantynes' first floor.^[25]