Mitre 10 (New Zealand)

Mitre 10 New Zealand Limited

Industry	Retail and trade building supplies
Founded	June 1974 (42 years ago)
Headquarters	Auckland, New Zealand
Area served	New Zealand
Key people	Neil Cowie (CEO)
Products	Timber Hardware Housewares Retail/Trade Plumbing Farm fencing products Trade Electrical supplies Hand and Power Tools Kitchen and Bathroom Paint Garden and Outdoor products
Website	http://www.mitre10.co.nz

Mitre 10 is a major New Zealand chain of home improvement stores established in June 1974. It employs more than 3000 staff and functions as a co-operative, with over 80 stores run by 60 local owner-operators.^[1]

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 Takahē 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

MEGA Glenfield Dusk Wiki

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

External links

• Mitre 10 New Zealand