| 19 New premises for popular retail store Smiths City - Dunedin T T Virginia Wright REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Dating back over 100 years, today Smiths City is one of the last retail chains in the country still New Zealand owned. When it teetered on the brink of closure five years ago, it was bought by Christchurch businessman Colin Neal, and today there are 15 Smiths City stores around the country selling their extensive range of beds, furniture, and appliances. The Dunedin store has recently re-opened after four years in temporary premises in George Street’s Meridian Mall, and is now in a prime position as part of the growing retail hub at the beginning of Crawford Street on the one-way route into Dunedin from the south. “It took us four years to find the right premises,” explains store manager Gordon Wiffen. “We have reconfigured five different run-down shops to make one big, modern retail area. It’s an architectural beauty, with huge steel framing in between the double-brick walls of the old stores, which date back to the early 1900s. You can still see ‘We buy your rabbit skins’ painted on one of the old brick walls we’ve preserved in the back of a storeroom.” The windows along the entire street side of the building let in plenty of light, while the now painted double-brick walls lend a rustic appeal to the extensive, warm and welcoming shop, designed with the customer in mind. “A lot of our customers have been shopping in Smiths City for many years. They come to us to kit out their homes, knowing that we’re there for them as one genuine Kiwi helping another. They trust us and they trust our range of products,” says Gordon. Being locally owned, Smiths City stores pride themselves on their customer focus as well as their understanding of what New Zealanders want and need. Many of their product lines have been specifically designed for our conditions, such as Coastwood furniture, made in Greymouth by locals from locally sourced materials, or the Christchurch-made Sleepyhead beds offering ranges developed with special foam designed to keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. The windows along the entire street side of the building let in plenty of light, while the now painted double-brick walls lend a rustic appeal to the extensive, warm and welcoming shop. “We have reconfigured five different run-down shops to make one big, modern retail area. It’s an architectural beauty, with huge steel framing in between the double-brick walls of the old stores, which date back to the early 1900s.” That customer focus starts from the moment someone walks into the store, and continues through the successful delivery of their purchase and beyond. “Our staff are genuinely interested in helping customers to find the right product, and that personalised service goes through to delivery with Smiths City’s own truck and driver. Then, in the unlikely event that something goes wrong, we’ll work to repair it, and we try not to let customers down, so even if the warranty’s expired we try and help them if we can,” Gordon says. With the buying power of 15 shops behind it, Smiths City Dunedin is proud to offer high-quality products at very good value. Their experience and knowledge of what New Zealanders want is combined with their wrap-around service to be customer-friendly without being pushy.’ Plenty of free parking means that customer-friendly feeling starts before you even go through the door of the new shop to be greeted by expert staff ready to help you find exactly what you need for your home. www.impactotago.co.nz | 10B Strathallan St, Dunedin SPECIALISTS IN ROOFING, PLUMBING & GAS FITTING Drainlayers 03 455 5871 contractors of choice Painters & Decorators JAMES WREN & CO LTD 50 Carroll Street PH: 03 477 9384 www.wrens.co.nz EST 1896 Contracting • Painting, Decorating • Programmed Maintenance • Solid Plastering • Specialist Coating • Tiling • Textured Coating TansleyElectrical “Trusted for over 65 years” www.tansleyelectrical.co.nz • Residential & Commercial Electrical • Fire Protection & IQP Compliance Proud to support the Polar Capital Team on the new Smith City Dunedin Development. Phone: 03 983 5500 waterfordpress.co.nz Your Business, Your Industry, Your News. DO OUR READERS KNOW YOU EXIST?
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=