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then as now
PlaceMakers celebrates multiple winners and Finalists in 2011’s Hardware Awards (L-R); CE John Beveridge; Grant Close; Matt Cleaver; Fraser Costley; Steven Marshall; John Barnes; and Chris Fairbairn.
Back then, the Department of Building & Housing still existed, the Building & Construction Minister was Maurice Williamson and Derek Baxter was CEO of the Certified Builders Association.
These days, Derek is Wellington City Council’s Civil Defence Controller, having worked at Standards NZ, acted as Building & Construction Minister Nick Smith’s Private Secretary and latterly Manager of Building Control Systems at MBIE.
In 2011, although still based in its cramped, out of date Support Office and warehouse at 46 View Road, Wairau Valley, a fresh burst of growth was being seen across Mitre 10’s network.
Indeed, five new MEGAs were set to open in the last quarter of 2011, starting with Masterton, followed by Hastings, Te Awamutu, Palmerston North (initially a co-op-owned store, one of several) and Greymouth and ranged in size from 5,000m2 in Greymouth up to 10,500m2 in Hastings.
You may recall that Hastings was the site of the very first MEGA back in 2004. Seven years later it was doubling its size, having reached capacity some years previously.
“We’re investing in more stores and building more footprint than any other retailer in New Zealand at the moment,” said Mitre 10 CEO John Hartmann at the time.
After seven years at the helm, John left Mitre 10 to return to the US with True Value in 2013 and mid last year moved to become Chief Operating Officer at Bed Bath & Beyond and President of buybuyBaby.
A random selection of familiar faces from the 2011 Hardware Awards. All but a handful have shifted jobs and companies since then.
is still there, 10+ years
later, after earthquakes
and floods, and the
brand looks none the worse for that!
Other celebrations towards the end of 2011 of course included the Hardware Awards.
One of the original JVs, PlaceMakers Riccarton took a lion’s share of the plaudits, with Grant Close taking 2011 Retailer
of the Year, Riccarton’s Fraser Costley being named Young Retailer of the Year and with the store itself 2011’s Trade Store of the Year!
Having been Riccarton’s Owner/Operator and JV Partner
for 20+ years, with the move to a HUB structure, as mentioned above, since September last year Grant has been the Director and Operator of PlaceMakers Christchurch comprising Cranford St, Hornby, Kaiapoi and Riccarton Supply, Fix, Install.
The other 2011 Retailer of the Year Finalists were Matt Cleaver, JV Partner of PlaceMakers Queenstown, another Team Blue stalwart, Chris Fairbairn, then Branch Operator of PlaceMakers Mount Wellington, and Patrick Britton, General Manager, Mitre 10 MEGA Glenfield.
Matt still runs PlaceMakers Queenstown, Chris is currently on garden leave and due to don a shirt of a different colour next year, while Patrick is now GM Ops at Riviera Hardware Holdings and once again is one of our Retailer of the Year Finalists!
You can’t keep a good man down, as they say, then as now...
Other movers & shakers 10 years ago included Nick Bright who had recently joined the team at Husqvarna NZ as National Sales Manager –
Retail in charge of the
McCulloch, Flymo
and Gardena brands.
Nick came armed with
extensive experience
in the hardware sector
from his time with
Black & Decker and
DEWALT. Still with
Husky, for the last
seven plus years Nick has been General Manager – Gardena and Consumer Brands.
Another stayer is Paul Yaxley who in 2011 we noted was heading up Haydn Brush Company’s marketing team. And Paul
L-R: Nick Bright and Paul Yaxley, 10-year veterans both at Husqvarna and Haydn Brush respectively.
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NOVEMBER 2021 | NZHJ 55