Page 7 - HW December 2019

hard news
Big (and small) store news from Mitre 10
MITRE 10 HAD both large and (nice to see) small format news in November.
Starting with the larger of the two, after some years in the planning, work is now well underway on the new 29,000m2 Mitre 10 MEGA site in Wanaka’s Three Parks Business Centre.
The new store set to open in Spring 2020 and, with 9,000m2 of floor area, will be more than double the size of the current Mitre 10 store, enabling an expanded offering for Wanaka’s burgeoning marketplace, including showrooms for kitchens, storage and large appliances.
Martin Dippie, owner of Mitre 10 Wanaka alongside brother Alan, says: “It’s exciting to be getting construction underway as this has been a project five years in the making.”
Along with 4,870m2 of retail floor space, the new store will have an extensive 3,900m2 garden centre, along with a Columbus Café and playground for families.
General Manager, Mark Watson, has been with the company since 2000, and says the new store has been designed to ensure both local DIYers and local tradies are well-catered for, the latter being treated to a jumbo 10,000m2 trade and timber yard.
At the other end of the scale, to the South East of Auckland, although Beachlands has lost its Hammer Hardware, it’s gained a Mitre 10.
Owner of Beachlands Hammer Hardware on Bell Road for the last seven years, Mathew Huggins (still just 32), in partnership with Mitre 10 MEGA Pukekohe owner, Dean Littin, has treated the area to a brand new 1,500m2 Mitre 10 on a new site at Beachlands Junction.
“It’s been a two to three-year business goal to advance the business from a Hammer Hardware to a Mitre 10 store. I’m really looking forward to the new challenge,” he says, adding: “The community has been hugely supportive of the store, and that’s been so important for us to take this leap.
“We’re looking forward to delivering a much fuller home improvement and trade offering to meet the needs of a growing Beachlands community.”
Although Beachlands Hammer Hardware is no more, Mathew still owns the Bell Road site, which will be rebranded and dedicated to trade, building and landscaping supplies, as well as equipment hire.
www.mitre10.co.nz
L-R: At Beachlands, Mathew Huggins Room with a view: and Dean Littin have upgraded from a Mitre 10 MEGA Wanaka gets underway. Hammer to a Mitre 10.
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DECEMBER 2019 | NZHJ 5
MPM 9086 1219