Mitre 10 (New Zealand)

Mitre 10 is a major New Zealand chain of home improvement stores established in June 1974. It employs more than 6000 team members combined and functions as a co-operative, with over 80 stores run by 60 local owner-operators.[1]

Mitre 10 New Zealand Limited
TypePrivate
IndustryRetail and trade building supplies
FoundedJune 1974 (1974-06)
Headquarters
Auckland, New Zealand
Number of locations
84
Area served
New Zealand
Key people
Chris Wilesmith (CEO)

Phil Coster (CIO)

Matthew Washington (CFO)
ProductsTimber
Hardware
Housewares
Retail/Trade Plumbing
Farm fencing products
Trade Electrical supplies
Hand and Power Tools
Kitchen and Bathroom
Paint
Garden and Outdoor products
Websitehttps://www.mitre10.co.nz

It is an entirely separate company from the Australian Mitre 10 chain.

Marketing and advertising have been memorable and many New Zealanders can still sing slogans from 10 and 20 years past - from "Mitre 10, Mitre 10, We’re New Zealand’s biggest hardware men" in the 70s through the "Good on Ya Mitre 10 You’ve done it again" campaigns in the 80s, to "You’ll come out better off at Mitre 10" and the Mega Strongman's "Big is Good" until recently.

The brand is involved in many community projects, such as the Mitre 10 Takahe Rescue project,[2] the New Zealander of the Year – Community of the year Award[3] and the Neurological Foundation's Annual Appeal,[4] as well as individual projects supported by stores to help their local communities - and has done very well in the Readers Digest Trusted Brand survey.[5][6][7][8][9]

History

The Mitre 10 brand and concept was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1959 as a local co-operative, with the initial 8 independent operators pooling their resources for shared advertising and promotions.[10] Separate state-based companies were formed in the years following, and then an overall licensing company in 1964.[11]

The concept appealed to New Zealand hardware shop owners,[12] and on 28 June 1974 the New Zealand Herald reported "some of the smaller firms in the timber and hardware merchandising field are grouping together to present a unified buying and selling front." The first member's meeting in 1974 consisted of just twelve members representing fifteen stores.

Mitre 10 New Zealand Limited now has 117 members, with stores stretching from Kaitaia to Bluff and has both the largest network by store numbers and by retail floor-space nationwide.

The late 1980s saw the introduction of Home Centres, further refined with nationwide garden centres. In 1994 the "Mitre 10 Home and Trade" brand was established. A major move at the smaller end of the market was the addition of Hammer Hardware in 1994 - extending a presence to the majority of towns in New Zealand. At the large end of the scale, in 2003 Mitre 10 MEGA was added.

In 2010 Mitre 10 (New Zealand) Limited took full ownership of the Mitre 10 brands for New Zealand after changes to the ownership of the, quite separate, Mitre 10 operation in Australia.[13][14]

MEGA Stores
Mitre 10 MEGA store in Glenfield, Auckland, New Zealand

MEGA is Mitre 10's "big-box" chain, designed as a one-stop shop for major projects. It directly competes with such chains as Bunnings and The Warehouse.[15] Mega stores offer customers a larger product range than standard Mitre 10 stores including larger garden centres and drive-through facilities, as well as extra services such as cafes and children's play areas.[16] Mitre 10 MEGA stores are predominantly owner operated, however on occasion there is some funding support from the national body. As of 2011 there are 28 Mitre 10 MEGA stores in New Zealand.

"Easy As" campaign

In 2012, Mitre 10 launched an integrated television commercial, online and in-store promotion programme designed to foster Kiwis enthusiasm for DIY with a series of "How To" DIY film segments fronted by Mitre 10's Stan Scott, a registered builder with more than 26 years of building experience.

Rugby sponsorship

In December 2015, Mitre 10 was announced as the new sponsor of all of New Zealand's major domestic rugby union competitions effective with the 2016 season—the top-level men's competition, formerly known as the ITM Cup; the second-level men's Heartland Championship, most recently sponsored by Pink Batts; the Women's Provincial Championship; and the Jock Hobbs Memorial National U19 tournament. The deal runs through the 2020 season.[17]

References
  1. "About Us", "", Retrieved 30 May 2011
  2. "Mitre 10 Takahe Rescue", "", Retrieved 2 April 2014
  3. "2014 Mitre 10 Community of the Year Awards", "", Retrieved 2 April 2014
  4. "Partners", "", Retrieved 2 April 2014
  5. "2008 New Zealand's Most Trusted Brands", "", Retrieved 2 April 2014
  6. "New Zealand's Most Trusted Brands 2010", "", Retrieved 2 April 2014
  7. "New Zealand's Most Trusted Brands 2011", "", Retrieved 2 April 2014
  8. "New Most Trusted Brand in 2012 Reader’s Digest Survey", " Archived 7 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine", Retrieved 2 April 2014
  9. "Which Brands Are New Zealand’s Most Trusted", ""Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 2 April 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)", Retrieved 2 April 2014
  10. "Mitre10" Archived 4 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Superbrands Australia
  11. "About us", Mitre 10 Australia
  12. "...many success stories about Mitre 10 Australia and the cooperative philosophy...", MEGA Hastings & Napier
  13. "Mitre 10 New Zealand Secures Brand Ownership". scoop.co.nz.
  14. "NZ Mitre 10 responds to sale of Australian counterpart", 2 December 2009, NBR
  15. "Big boxes – the story so far" Archived 23 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine, October 2012, NZ Hardware Journal
  16. "About Mitre 10 MEGA", "", Retrieved 30 May 2011
  17. "Mitre 10 unveiled as new sponsor of national provincial rugby competitions" (Press release). New Zealand Rugby. 13 December 2015. Archived from the original on 16 December 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
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