Masterton Tool Shed wins national award

MASTERTON store The Tool Shed has taken out a national award as the franchise's Store of the Year, beating out 21 other stores nationwide.
"I'm proud of it, because Masterton's not that big, and it shows we must be doing something right," owner manager Jimmy Pope said yesterday.
"To beat all the other Tool Sheds, that's amazing."
Mr Pope opened The Tool Shed behind Masterton's Mastermall eight years ago, in partnership with developer Florus Bosch.
Four years later he bought the building in Dixon Street where the shop now stands.
"It's never been as big as Mitre 10 or anything like that," Mr Pope said. "They're the mega-stores."
The award is based on store layout, presentation and service. It includes feedback from a mystery shopper and the store's suppliers.
National franchise manager Ian Robertson said the award was scored out of 100, and the Masterton store had "scored consistently in the 90s, and you have to be pretty good to do that".
Mr Pope said the award was "very hard to get" because of the high standards.
"This year we went out to win, but we didn't have a clue until we went down there (to the national conference).
"Three years ago we got second, but to win this, this is the ultimate."
A Wellington store placed second, and Hamilton was third "with a brand new store", Mrs Pope said.
"They're bigger than us."
Mrs Pope said the store's clients come back, "and hopefully they come for our service".
While at the national conference, Mr Pope brought up the problem of disposing of polystyrene waste ? Masterton's transfer station will not accept commercial volumes ? and "they have found out that it's going to be an issue".
Mr Pope said other towns did not necessarily have the same restrictions as Masterton, but that was coming.
The national franchise had agreed to look at the possibility of asking suppliers to consider other forms of packaging.