18 WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS <strong>December</strong> <strong>2016</strong>/<strong>January</strong> <strong>2017</strong> MITRE 10 MEGA RUAKURA RUAKURA Mitre10 MEGA Ruakura by Terry & Lynne NEW STORE NOW OPEN 41 Ruakura Road, Hamilton East, Phone: 850 8700
MITRE 10 MEGA RUAKURA 19 NEW Mitre 10 MEGA brings DIY and trade supplies to the eastside Tradies and DIY enthusiasts east of the <strong>Waikato</strong> river can gear up for summer projects thanks to the long-awaited opening of Mitre 10 MEGA Ruakura. to our communities,” says Lynne. “As owner/operators who live and work in Hamilton it means a lot to be able to create jobs and put money back into the local economy.” By GEOFF TAYLOR Located on the corner of Ruakura Road and Wairere Drive, Hamilton’s newest Mitre 10 MEGA is well located to service the south-east Hamilton market – saving customers time and transport costs. Store owner/operators, Terry and Lynne Wilson have been eager to complete this four-year project for their south-east Hamilton-based customers, who previously had to make the journey to the Wilson’s other Mitre 10 MEGA store at The Base, Te Rapa. “We’ve had a lot of feedback from our south-east Hamilton-based trade and DIY customers saying that they cannot wait to get a closer store – even a few handwritten letters from dedicated DIYers who are rapt with the location,” says Terry. “The new store will operate as a satellite of our Te Rapa store – offering the same range and store features and allowing our trade customers to use one account across both stores.” The opening has created 70 new jobs across both Mitre 10 MEGA stores, not including the fixed term team members brought on to help out with setting up Mitre 10 MEGA Ruakura. “We’re proud to be part of a New Zealand-owned co-op that emphasises giving back Quite early on we recognised that Mitre 10 MEGA was extraordinarily under-represented in Hamilton The Mitre 10 MEGA Ruakura store is a significant addition on the east side of the river, encompassing almost 8000 square metres of retail space, garden area, drive-thru, trade yard and trade supply bulk bins, and a Columbus Café. The store has been designed with sustainability and efficiency in mind, including new wireless mobile devices that will enable team members to be more productive and responsive to customers’ requests. “Whether they’re in the garden area, the drive-thru, trade yard or anywhere else in the store, our team members will be able to check store location and availability on the spot, as well as process orders without the need for paper, which allows them to deliver a more efficient service to our customers,” says Terry. Mitre 10 MEGA Ruakura officially opened to the public at 7am on <strong>December</strong> 9. The store celebrated the opening in its first weekend with a charity sausage sizzle, activities for the kids and plenty of in-store specials. Terry and Lynne Wilson perform the ceremonial cutting of the wood to open the store. starting to appear around the country, Terry, with decades of experience in retail, was determined to be involved with a bigger store. The couple came to Hamilton to start planning for the city’s first Mitre 10 MEGA which would ultimately open at The Base in 2007. They were adventurous times as Terry and Lynne vividly recall driving construction of the store from an on-site Portacom and the incredible task of ordering the store’s first inventory – a mere 45,000 items. Terry and Lynne have worked hard to establish the store and have built up a burgeoning retail business, supplemented alongside by a successful trade operation. Terry says being locally owned and operated gives Mitre 10 MEGA stores an advantage that no corporate can replicate. “On average we have a much higher level of customer engagement and customer satisfaction. You can do whatever you like with price, what people actually respond to is value. Part of value is price, part is quality and part is customer service and customer engagement and we won’t be beaten on that.” For Terry and Lynne, being local operators is also about ensuring that they are always available and visible on-site, although Terry is more office bound these days, and Lynne is trying to retire. “We want people to know we are human, we are part of the team. We are ordinary people who have lunch in the tea room and serve customers if we happen to be on the floor.” A perfect site in Ruakura From an early stage, Terry and Lynne were eyeing the Continued on page 20 Hamilton’s Mitre 10 MEGAs – a family story Bathroom Showroom. Terry and Lynne Wilson started out their Mitre 10 journey in 2004 when they purchased a store in Glen Innes, Auckland, employing 11 staff. But with Mitre 10 MEGAs Outdoor furniture display. MODERN construction ltd GENERAL & STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS BUILDING CONTRACTORS C8963H Modern Construction are proud to be associated with Foster Construction and Mitre 10 Mega Ruakura Multi storey • Design and build Warehouses • Factories Commercial structural steel Ph 07 846 1995 • 45B Duke Street, Hamilton PO Box 8018, Hamilton • www.modernconstruction.co.nz Proud to be associated with Mitre 10 Mega Ruakura Congratulations to Terry and Lynne on the opening Level 4, 18 London Street | PO Box 9041 | Hamilton 3240 Ph +64 7 838 0144 | Fax +64 7 839 0431 | www.bbo.co.nz J1837A