18 | “We are incredibly grateful for the support and custom we have received from the Palmerston North community and are equally committed to giving back to the fantastic city of Palmerston North.” Stock, service, staff key for business T T Sue Russell Palmerston North: Stewarts Mitre 10 REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT The Stewart family have owned and operated Mitre 10 MEGA Palmerston North since 2015. Before this, they had been in the Electrical Wholesale industry for 69 years and four generations. At the time of selling ‘Stewarts Electrical Supplies Ltd’ they became aware of the opportunity to buy the Mitre 10 MEGA Palmerston North store. “We were excited about Mitre 10 and recognised it as an opportunity to join a great brand and a co-operative of many other Kiwi families who make up the Mitre 10 business,” Andrew says. Over the last six years, the business has grown steadily. This has been done through the building of a strong management and sales team. The Stewart family has also invested heavily in increasing their capability to service their customers in both the retail and trade side of the business. In 2018 they opened the Mitre 10 Trade Distribution Centre which is a 3350 square metre warehouse just 1km away from their main store. This site was built to cater to the growing trade side of their business. The distribution model meant that now they are operating four crane trucks and two curtainsider trucks purely to deliver materials to site as quickly and efficiently as possible for their builders. “It is important we make it easy to do business with us. As a family we have always operated on a simple principle. The three S’s (stock, service, staff). “We always endeavour to carry as much good stock as possible so when you need it we should have it. Service is simply to ensure that we deliver the best service possible for our customers. You cannot do this however with out having a strong and valued team to deliver it.” With a team of 130 people, Andrew noted there are 100 plus families that they are responsible for and with the uncertain business landscape that Covid has brought since 2020 it has been a very challenging time. “The first lockdown was quite stressful I must admit because we didn’t really know what to expect. As information came through from the Government and Mitre 10 Support Centre we had to move quickly and really adapt to the changing trading conditions. This is where our great team of staff took ownership and helped us pivot really quickly by switching to a complete ‘Click & Collect’ trading model,” Andrew says. “We were very proud of the system we came up with and the customer experience we were able to deliver during Level 3 trading.” “We are incredibly grateful for the support and custom we have recieved from the Palmerston North community and are equally committed to giving back to the fantastic city of Palmerston North. “We make sure to spread our community sponsorship funding as wide as we can on really worthwhile causes and activities in and around Palmerston North. We would like to think our contribution is making a difference to the positivity and energy of the city.” As managing director, Andrew says his days are mostly concerned with the strategic direction of the business and working alongside general manager Bevan Brabyn to take care of the day to day, and leading the company’s values and culture. Looking back on the past 6 years is a satisfying experience Andrew reflects. “It was important for us to really work hard on growing the trade side and I’m pleased with what we have achieved. “ There are plans ahead to evolve further but so far its been a great journey. Everyone working in the business contributes to its success.”
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