The Star: August 16, 2018

10
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
News
Thursday August 16 2018
Local
News
Now
The Star
Fire rages, homes at risk
Strategy to
reduce alcohol
harm in city
A CITY free from alcohol-related
harm is the vision behind a new
strategy.
The Christchurch Alcohol
Action Plan – led by the city
council, the Canterbury District
Health Board and police – has
been developed in response to
community concerns about
harmful alcohol use.
Its approach is based on the
international 5+ Solution, a set
of evidence-based solutions to
alcohol-related harm formed by
15 scientists from around the
world.
Safer Christchurch
chairwoman and city councillor
Anne Galloway said the CAAP
outlines collective strategies
aimed at reducing alcohol-related
harm.
“The CAAP has been developed
as a local, inter-agency
approach to bringing down the
social and financial costs of
alcohol-related harm.”
Area Prevention Manager and
Acting Inspector Paul Reeves
said police are committed to the
CAAP.
The CAAP will be rolled out
over a five-year period with regular
monitoring.
Global kitset business at 22
• By Sophie Cornish
“CAN’T YOU just get someone
to assemble this?”
This was the common question
22-year-old Jorgen Ellis was
asked while working part-time
at Bunnings
Warehouse in
Shirley.
His customers
were put
off from purchasing
kitset
furniture as
Jorgen Ellis
they weren’t
sure how to
assemble it.
This led Mr Ellis to a have a
light bulb moment, creating a
service where people will go to
your house and assemble it for
you.
From there, he quit his job and
studies at Canterbury University
and built his own kitset empire.
The former Christchurch Boys’
High School student now owns
Kitset Assembly Services, also
known as Flatpack Global, and
has partnered with the world’s
largest furniture retailer, IKEA.
It provides a range of services,
based around assembling flatpack
furniture such as barbecues,
garden sheds, indoor furniture
and gym equipment.
They provide quotes and have
a fixed price assembly database
with more than 500 different
products, meaning there is no
hourly rate charged.
Customers provide the name
of the retailer, the product and
its code and if the item is on the
database, you can receive a fixedprice
quote for the service.
It has raised $6m in capital and
has now expanded to Australia,
Scotland, Wales, England and the
Netherlands.
In the past 12 months, the
company has sold more than 100
franchises and is well on its way
to becoming one of the fastest
growing franchises in the world
for 2019, Mr Ellis believes.
The idea dawned on him in
2014, when he was working at
Bunnings and frequently challenged
by customers who were
reluctant to purchase flatpack
furniture, because of the assembly
required.
When selling an item he was
often asked: “Why can’t I just buy
the display model?” and “why
can’t you just get somebody to
assemble it?”
GOING
GLOBAL:
The new
international
head office
of Flatpack
Global in
Auckland,
owned by
22-year-old
Jorgen Ellis,
who has
taken his
business
to five
countries.
After accepting an offer of $100
from a customer to assemble a
swing-set, the very next day Mr
Ellis decided to purchase $300
worth of tools and $10 worth of
business cards and go out on his
own.
Now, four years on, Mr Ellis
has recently established an international
head office in Auckland,
and employs 46 staff.
“Stoked to see how far this
has come from the small
Christchurch company we once
were,” said Mr Ellis in a Facebook
post.
Independent
Living at its best.
Lady Wigram Retirement Village
facilities are second to none.
Whether you’re looking for a serviced
apartment or a single story villa mixed
with luxury resort style facilities, you
have an abundance of choice at Lady
Wigram Retirement Village.