Page 13 - HW June-July 2021

hard news
procoat
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Sustainable packaging
Easy application Waterbased
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www.aaltopaint.co.nz
How to achieve more with less?
KIWI MULTI-TOOL blade specialist Smart Tool Group is inviting its retail and merchant partners to make more of less when it comes to in-store space.
The New Zealand owned and operated company sold seven
and a half million multi-tool
blades worldwide last year, from
as far north as Iceland to as far
south as Invercargill, of which
about half were sold in New Zealand.
Its multi-tool blades are made in Germany, Switzerland and soon the UK, making it the only manufacturer making quick- release open back blades outside of China, plus it also has all the other bases covered with its Bosch-manufactured Starlock blade options.
In this respect, says the company, retailers and merchants can now fulfil all their customers’ needs for multi-tool consumables with a single brand.
Without stating the obvious, multi-tool blades are a GP-rich category and, with plans afoot to maximise in-store space and increase the store’s return on investment per square metre, Smart Tool Group’s plans to roll out its compact, easy-to- navigate “blade station” merchandising solution may well be attractive to retailers and merchants.
On top of this, additional strings to Smart Tool Group’s bow in New Zealand now include the agency for the clever Grabo suction lifter (lifts up to 170kg of materials, even if they are porous or have a textured surface) and Gutster Demo Bars from the US.
www.smart-toolgroup.com/nz/
Bunnings’ living wage
BUNNINGS’ FIRST UNION workers have signed a new national Collective Agreement that will see all existing and new staff earn at least a living wage.
“Bunnings are also the first major retail employer of the year to sign a new deal that includes the new and updated living wage of $22.75 for staff who’ve worked there more than 12 months come September,” says First Union.
Interesting to note in respect of the above that Retail NZ’s latest Wages Guide puts the average wage in retail at $25.05 nationally, having climbed 6.1% in the last year.
The average rate for national chains is now $26.01 an hour, slightly ahead of Auckland at $25.99 an hour.
Retailers operating only in the Wellington region pay the lowest average rates, at just under $24 an hour, “reflecting the difficult business environment in the capital”.
www.retail.kiwi
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JUNE/JULY 2021 | NZHJ 11