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FINALISTS
This award recognises outstanding young retailers or builders’ merchants aged 32 years or under. Entrants will be department managers, store managers or even shareholders of a hardware retailer or builders’ supply merchants.
YOUNG RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Morgan Caine
PLACEMAKERS WESTGATE
This 31-year-old Operations Manager has
worn a blue shirt since 2005. Westgate was among the top 10 blue sheds last year, seeing top and bottom line growth, on top of gains
in staff engagement. Brendan Jackett, Westgate’s Branch Operator talks of Morgan’s “high levels of professionalism” and “fantastic understanding of what our customers required to be successful”. He is a “passionate leader” who has earned the respect of his team through “a consistent, diligent and compassionate style of leadership”, particularly during these recent difficult times. Morgan’s next goal is to become a Branch Operator within the next two years.
Anton Hawkey
MITRE 10 MEGA PAPANUI
As Operations and Garden Centre Manager, 26-year-old Anton has been connected with this high achieving store since he started working after school, aged 16. He cut his management teeth during the store’s major upgrade in 2017 and played a central role in the store’s highly successful expansion project last year. His ambitions for the next year include becoming one of the top three garden centres nationally, as well as growing his team to take more responsibility for their departments. Proprietor Murray Smith talks about Anton’s “endless energy”, his “get up & go attitude” and confirms his key role in the store’s success.
John Ryan
MITRE 10 MEGA MASTERTON
The youngest of our Finalists, John joined Masterton straight out of college, progressing from a sales team member to being a respected 24-year-old Retail Manager. Aiming to learn more about the statistical and financial complexities of the retail and trade sides of
his MEGA, John’s goal is to become a Store Manager within the next five years and a GM after that. Indeed, Masterton’s current GM, Brent Stewart, recognises his talents, saying “John shows integrity, responsibility and ambition that is very rare in our industry – he sees his role with us as a career, not just a job.”
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