It was big news last year when Betts revealed its new store concept at Melbourne Central.
Complementing a change in strategy to break free from the discounting cycle, the new store features sustainable elements and refreshed design, highlighting the business' four key brands: Betts, Zu, Airflex and Zeroe.
The Melbourne Central store was the third the footwear retailer had opened with the new concept, following stores in Queensland's Pacific Fair and Western Australia's Eaton Fair Shopping Centres.
But what you might not know is that the rollout of the stores was hampered by the timber shortage Australia was experiencing last year.
With the aim to shift to a 'lighter' feeling in-store – and to communicate its commitment to sustainable materials – Betts utilised timber shelving in the new space.
However, it's no secret that timber was tight last year, due to ongoing COVID impacts around the world.
So, what did Betts do?
"We had to change the colour [timber that we used] for each of the stores that we opened," CEO Todd Wilner told Ragtrader.
"So we've changed it three times, but you would never pick it.
"But because of the shortages that Australia experienced, we had to change elements in each store.
"We were susceptible to all those supply chain issues," he said.
Wilner said that despite these challenges, the business aims to open more concept stores throughout 2022.
"We were really excited to get all our stores back open and running because we know our strategy is working, so that bodes well for 22 and 23.
"I'd love to be able to see more of the new big stores out there with our four brands in our new setup.
"Bricks-and-mortar is definitely firmly part of our strategy. We're not going to be reverting to be an online pure play.
"So, we're excited to work with our landlords and our landlord partners about how we can get these stores into their centres in the future," he said.