128 | Benefits of buying in bulk always passed on David and Sally Lemon. Buildlink Selwyn T T Virginia Wright BUILDING BuildLink is a nationwide co-operative of building supply merchants with around 40 stores scattered throughout New Zealand. One of those stores is in Leeston in the Selwyn District just south of Christchurch. Owned by Sally and David Lemon since 2018, they have just won this year’s Buildlink Supreme Store of the Year Award, reflecting their work and determination to keep customer service at the heart of their business. All the BuildLink stores are independently owned and operated. The Auckland based National Supply Office negotiates on the BuildLink network’s behalf with their Premium Supply Partner group, as well as 100’s of other suppliers who come on board, to secure purchase deals according to the spend across the group. That combined purchase power is the key to making its members competitive among other building supply merchants including the big names such as Placemakers and Mitre 10. “Because we buy as a co-operative we get a buying advantage which we pass along to our customers, rather than just being a little independent store,” explains Sally. While their competitive pricing obviously works to their advantage it’s arguably the independence of being owner/managers determined to thrive themselves and help their customers do the same while enjoying what they do, in other words what Sally calls their ‘country attitude’, that makes BuildLink stores such as Sally and David’s in Selwyn such a success. What each store offers differs depending on exactly where they are, but Selwyn’s includes the materials for full house builds, farmsheds, renovations, landscaping, timber fencing, and DIY explains Sally. “The BuildLink logo is to ‘Buy Better, Build Better’. “We provide all of the materials and we have access to 1000’s of product lines so it’s about getting the right product for the right job, and we’re able to get the right price for our buyers.” With a region that stretches north to Kaikoura, south to the Ashburton River, east to Banks Peninsula and west to Lake Brunner, Buildlink Selwyn have delivery trucks out every day and can pick product up from Christchurch if needed. If they haven’t already got it in their comprehensive catalogue they’ll do what they can to source it, approaching suppliers and tracking things down as needed. They talk about customer service but their country attitude goes deeper than that. “We’ve got a really loyal group of builders and DIY-ers, especially here in Leeston but also towards Darfield, Kirwee and Rolleston and we can arrange delivery within minutes of a phone order, or they can come in if they’d rather. We see a lot of the people we work with on a daily basis and we always have a good laugh with them and really enjoy the relationships we have with them,” says Sally. The BuildLink annual conference brings everyone together to catch up on industrywide matters such as employment contracts and customer insurance, but more importantly from the Lemons’ point of view is the networking with all the other store operators. “It’s so valuable to be able to brainstorm together and swap ideas and it helps us to grow and develop our store,” says Sally. The Lemons clearly know how to put that information to good use. Their winning combination means they’ve grown from employing two part-timers to now having six full-timers, plus a couple of casuals, adding up to a team that Sally believes is the key to their ongoing success. Getting their Supreme Award at this year’s conference reinforces that they and their team are on the right track as they strive to do things right for their customers. “Because we buy as a cooperative we get a buying advantage which we pass along to our customers, rather than just being a little independent store.” Agrippa Paints specialise in manufacturing diverse products to enhance and protect your outdoor spaces. Our offerings include Timber Stains, Decking Stains, Decking Preparation Solutions, Multi-Purpose Paints, Roof Paints, Paving Paints, Non-Slip Additives, and Road Marking Paints. Congratulations to Dave & Sally! 03 344 0260 www.agrippapaints.co.nz 0800 224 759 | sales@bbi.net.nz | www.bbi.net.nz Plywood Timber Proud partner of Buildlink Selwyn Phone: 03 983 5500 waterfordpress.co.nz Your Business, Your Industry, Your News. DO OUR READERS KNOW YOU EXIST?
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