Page 12 - HW February 2020

hard news
Mitre 10 makes big comeback in Gisborne
ON 20 DECEMBER, 10 years since the brand left town and following 10 months of construction and a $10+ million investment, Mitre 10 Gisborne opened to the public.
Geoff and Carolyn Taylor, along with business partners Brendan and Nicole Hall (of Mitre 10 Crofton Downs), are the owner-operators of Mitre 10 New Zealand’s 84th store.
The new 5,500m2 store on Derby Street comprises a 2,400m2 retail area with an extensive range of home improvement products (including kitchen and bathroom showrooms), a
big (3,700m2) trade yard and drive-through, a 1,000m2 garden centre, as well as a Columbus Café and a playground.
From a temporary team of 20 during the last year, no less than 64 people now operate the new store, including six team members from outside the region who will be making Gisborne their new home.
The store has already been involved in several community initiatives including fundraising for Gisborne Hospice and Alzheimer’s Gisborne.
The Taylors and the Halls celebrate the traditional “plank cutting” to open their new Gizzy store. (See our website for more photos of the opening.)
See all the opening photos on our website.
Bits & pieces
Mitre 10 HQ is energy efficient – Mitre
10 NZ’s National Support Centre on Auckland’s North Shore has achieved a
5 star NABERSNZ Whole Building rating. NABERSNZ looks at energy performance and is applicable once buildings have been occupied and operating for a year or more.
www.nabersnz.govt.nz
Builders’ insurance – Lloyd’s of London having pulled out of underwriting builders’ guarantees globally, the only insurance-backed builders guarantee available in NZ has been the Master Build Guarantee, which is only available from members of that association. However local boutique insurance agency Builtin, which specialises in construction insurance and builders guarantees, has since announced the launch of its own policy, which is open to any builder.
https://builtininsurance.co.nz/
Englefield lightens footprint through packaging
ENGLEFIELD HAS REDESIGNED the packaging for its best-selling flat, corner Contour and Contour Plus acrylic shower walls, greatly reducing the amount of cardboard used and eliminating the use of polystyrene altogether.
The shower walls are now
being shipped with locally
made, recyclable grade 4C
fluted cardboard upper and
lower carton caps, with a base protector insert made of double fluted cardboard.
As well as reducing the materials footprint, there are benefits in shipping and handling - the two-sided acrylic
shower walls will now fit eight to a pallet, instead of six - plus the walls can be easily inspected while in transit thanks to an integrated viewing window at the base of the wall.
Englefield says this initiative results in a 60% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; a 55% reduction in water usage, 57% reduction in solid waste and a 55%
reduction in toxicity (all presumably compared to the previous packaging) and to expect more on this front from the brand.
https://englefield.co.nz/
10 NZHJ | FEBRUARY 2020
MORE AT www.hardwarejournal.co.nz