Chapel Street shoppers prefer fitness over doughnuts

Not so long ago, you couldn’t walk along Chapel St without bumping into a doughnut store. But they’re a trend that didn’t last, with a popular industry taking over storefronts at the shopping precinct.

Fitness is being favoured over doughnuts on Chapel Street — for now.

It seems doughnuts are out and fitness is in — at least on trendy Chapel St.

Four doughnut stores have shut on the strip in the past year and a half, and it seems shoppers are becoming more health conscious.

Since late 2017, Sweet Freaks, SuperCool Donuts, Doughnut Time and Donutopia have closed.

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Michelle Fifi, events and marketing co-ordinator for the Chapel Street Precinct Association said doughnuts seemed to be a trend that didn’t last.

“In today’s retail climate, businesses simply can’t get away with providing a product that isn’t unique and/or doesn’t stand out in a cluttered franchise flooded market,” Ms Fifi said.

Artisan doughnuts were all the rage.

“We did have a lot of doughnut shops close in a short period of time.

“Supercool Donuts closed around one or two months ago and Doughnut Time closed early last year.”

Ms Fifi said health and fitness studio numbers were skyrocketing.

“Chapel Precinct has seen 67 new businesses move in since last September,” she said.

“The highest growth over the past six months has been the health and fitness sector with gyms, pilates and yoga studios.

“Out of our 1600 Chapel Precinct businesses, health and fitness currently represents 10.2 per cent of traders.”

Emma Seibold owns the Barre Body Chapel St franchise.

Barre Body relocated onto Chapel Street last year.

Marketing manager Gemma Dawkins said the iconic location was too good to pass up when a studio space became available.

“We have such a diverse range of clientele but we definitely see a lot of mothers in Windsor,” she said.

But after a workout, Chapel Street fitness fanatics can still cheat with a treat from the precinct’s last remaining doughnut store, Bistro Morgan.

And young owner Morgan Hipworth, 18, insisted doughnuts were far from a declining trend.

“I would even go as far as saying doughnuts are not a trend at all,” he said.

Success was based on a mix of product, service, branding and the business’s story, he said.

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