Mitre 10 'mega' store on way

By SIMON HENDERY

Competition for a share of the growing home renovation retail market is continuing to intensify.

Do-it-yourself retailer Mitre 10 yesterday announced plans for a new "mega" store in east Auckland - the first of 20 it plans to open over the next three years.

Mitre 10 said it had been granted resource consent for a 2.6ha development in Te Irirangi Drive, Botany Downs, which will replace the chain's existing Ti Rakau Drive store. The new development will include a garden centre, drive through timber yard, cafe and kids play area.

It will stock about 40,000 DIY products, including entire kitchens, bathrooms, lighting and outdoor furniture.

Mitre 10 communications manager Peter Stewart said staff at the existing store would be relocated and up to 70 additional staff employed.

"New Zealand has the largest number of DIY-ers per head of population in the western world and we believe the new mega store will help satisfy this healthy DIY appetite," Stewart said.

"More women in the Auckland region are doing-it-themselves than ever before and are also more likely to make the decisions on home improvement than men.

"Over half of those surveyed had carried out a DIY task within the last two years and 63 per cent had used power tools."

The Botany Downs store is expected to open in October.

A mega store in Henderson is due to open in March and another in Papakura is scheduled to open in September.

Mitre 10, a co-operative franchise group, turns over more than $500 million a year through its 123 stores and employs about 2000.

The DIY sector is worth almost $1 billion a year and Mitre 10 attributed recent growth in DIY activity to the buoyant property market.

Competition within the sector has intensified since the 2002 arrival of Australian chain Bunnings, which now has 35 stores here.

Part of the listed Wesfarmers group, Bunnings entered New Zealand through the purchase of the Hardwarehouse and Benchmark chains.

Other players in the DIY retail sector include the Building Depot, Carters, Hammer Hardware, ITM and Placemakers.