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FINALISTS
This award recognises a truly outstanding, established retailer or builders’ merchant. Entrants will be owners, managers or JV partners of a hardware store or a merchant.
Roger McRae
PLACEMAKERS MT WELLINGTON
Another retailer through and through,
Branch Manager Roger McRae’s earlier CV includes roles at Kmart, Briscoe Group and The Warehouse. Now acting as an anchor
site for PlaceMakers’ South East HUB, the
high performing Mt Wellington store has just achieved its biggest year ever, and may well be the number one site for the Skip The Counter initiative, but, says Roger, it’s the team who are “the life and heart of the business”. HUB Ops Manager Chris Hawkins agrees, adding that Roger’s team features several highly promising future managers, and that his whole team happily “go the extra mile” for him. Roger “values his people and it shows.”
RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Patrick Britton
MITRE 10 RIVIERA GROUP
This career retailer comes armed with “a passion for retail that is rare in New Zealand”. With a key focus on Auckland’s top performing MEGA in Albany, Patrick Britton is GM of Group Retail Ops for the Riviera Hardware Group – three Mitre 10 MEGAs and their Columbus Cafés, plus one Mitre 10 store. Having overseen a recent pandemic-driven, top to bottom restructure, Patrick has recruited top talent in a limited market and acts as a coach and mentor, allowing his team to perform at their best. Riviera MD, Cam Caithness, says of this Finalist: “In a world of yes men, Patrick challenges my thinking” and that he’s highly valued as “a rock- solid advisor”.
Gene Simmiss
PLACEMAKERS BLENHEIM
Branch Manager of the previously struggling Blenheim store since just before lockdown last year, in that time merchanting newbie Gene Simmiss has turned the store around, communicating with both “neglected” customers and his team and leading them through the additional disruption of not only a complete post-lockdown refit but also a ground-up reset of the business. “We have changed the perception of the business, with a number of customers returning who haven’t shopped here for a long time, provided the staff a place where they are proud to work and empowered them within their workplace to take ownership of their areas,” says Gene. To cap it all off, Blenheim’s metrics now paint a picture of a highly rejuvenated store.
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