Page 9 - HW Oct 2022

Staying close to your customer is key
CHRIS FAIRBAIRN BECAME Member Principal of Mitre 10 MEGA Manukau in April, after 11+ successful years
with PlaceMakers in Auckland as Branch Manager, JV Owner and latterly HUB Manager and with stints in Mt Wellington, New Lynn and South Auckland.
Joining Chris at the Mitre 10 MEGA Lambie Drive operation is “Jeff” Chen Li, after 171⁄2 years at PlaceMakers and a top Trade Sales Manager.
Mitre 10 NZ owns the land and the building, while Chris owns the business.
“It’s been a fun journey, six months in,” says Chris Fairbairn, fresh from another long day working through both the trade and retail areas.
As you would expect, the Manukau store’s trade business has seen a real boost since Chris and Jeff arrived: “We have gone from the number nine trade store in Auckland to number one today and nationally we are top 10 and on the
way to top five so it’s been a big ride!” he says.
The new Member Principal is under no illusions however that it’s job done.
“You can’t just sit back and expect business to walk in the door,” he recognises.
“Through the boom times pre-
Covid there was probably a degree of complacency that things were good and on the up & up.
“Life was busy, and business was easier, and I think now in these more challenging, post-Covid, inflationary times it’s very much a ‘Hunger Games’.”
It’s about “who’s hungry and who’s
got fire in the belly to really drive their business. What’s it going to take and what can you do differently?
“Hiring good people, training good people, having good solutions, having whole of house, making sure your facility is clean and tidy – store basics, retail basics, and trade basics to make sure that
you focus on doing the simple but key things right.”
And in terms of the shift from corporate to cooperative, Chris Fairbairn shares this: “Let’s just say that people will choose what suits them and this model suits me.
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 | NZHJ 7
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