Bunnings Warehouse will pump $1.7 million in wages into Whangarei in its first full year of operation, says managing director John Gillam at the store opening yesterday.
Dressed in jeans, the Australian-based executive looked as though he was about to launch into a garden improvement project, as did the rest of
the senior management team mustered for the opening.
Mr Gillam said 110 people were already on the payroll, 35 from the now closed Benchmark store.
Recruitment was still continuing, with up to 20 more staff needed.
Bunnings New Zealand general manager Brad Cranston allowed himself to joke about a glitch that brought construction to a halt last year, when earth movement shoved a retaining wall out of kilter.
"The project has had its challenges, mobile walls and so on," he joked.
New Zealand operations manager Alan Skipwith spoke of long hours and superhuman effort to get the huge building (11,652sq m and 40,000 stock lines) up and running, and of continuing pressure from new building projects.
Guest of honour Buck Shelford, the former All Black captain, stood out height-wise and because of his formal black suit. He likened commissioning a megastore to running a rugby team, but warned "getting to the top is easier than staying there. You have to keep working at it".
Two $1000 cheques were presented to Whangarei charities. Bunnings chose the Women's Refuge, while Buck nominated North Haven Hospice.
