Cosmetic and book industries boom despite economic woes
From TV3 News last night.

The economy may be looking down but for some the 'doom' spells 'boom'.
It will take more than a downturn to take the shimmer off the $700 million cosmetic industry which is still growing at an average of four percent every year.
Garth Wyllie of the NZ Toiletries and Cosmetics Association said: “There's probably two factors, one you still need to look good and feel better and two, it's a discretionary amount that you can still afford when you compare it to buying the new plasma or the new LCD TV."
Keren Smith-Palmer is a working solo mother. She says times are tough but she won't give up the lippy.
“If I don't have any on I just don't feel very good and don't have much confidence but if I've got makeup on I'm feeling good and looking good and feeling a lot more confident.”
The thought of a coffee with friends is still sweet according to the Retailers' Association.
Columbus Coffee says they are resilient to economic impact and have opened two new stores in the last month.
A spokesperson said: “People like to have their little daily treat and having a coffee is just part of everyday life now.”

People are still going to the mall, but for the social experience of catching up with friends and only spending a few dollars.
“I think when they get to come in for the coffee they're not really worried about that, they're sitting down and taking a bit of time out either catching up with friends or maybe having a meeting with somebody or trying to get away from some of those worries. They come here to get away from that I think.”

If you are not at the mall, chances are you are curled up with a book.
Last year New Zealanders spent more than $1 billion in the book industry.
It has capped off years of phenomenal growth in this sector and while retail sales recorded their first drop in March, the major chains are expanding.

Bookseller Andrew Howard said: “We're very confident about the future. Retailers tend to take a really long-term approach to planning growth and that's what we're doing at the moment.”
Shoppers say where escapism comes cheap it is money well-spent.
Howard added: “I guess with fiction books they can take you anywhere, anywhere in the world and take you out of everyday life and take you somewhere different.”

Books are now looking especially good for lawyers particularly those specialising in insolvency, mortgagee sales and litigation.
Howard explained: “I think probably in the last three or four months it's accelerated. As the financial markets have got more and more difficult, those cases have accelerated.”
Property lawyer Tim Jones says when people are financially stressed they tend to fight cases they would have otherwise have walked away from.
“In the current environment it's very much a case of a vendor being left high and dry by a purchaser who has pulled out of a contract or looking to pull out.”

The sad reality is that tough times have an impact on families and the law firm has taken on three extra specialists to deal with family law.
Jones says lawyers do not rub their hands together in busy periods but he cannot deny it is good for business.
“Well yes, I mean indirectly I'd always like to think the role of an advisor as a lawyer is being positive. Litigation has unfortunately some negative connotations but I mean it's one of those trends.”

Negative or not, there is no denying lawyers and some other businesses have found that no matter how dark the economic cloud, there is always a silver lining.

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