New Bunnings for Hamilton and Arch Hill

Bunnings. Photo / file

Fast-expanding DIY, home improvement and outdoor living chain Bunnings has new stores rising in south Hamilton and Auckland's Arch Hill.

The business has just released information about the $24.7 million Hamilton store, to be a Bunnings Warehouse, opening later this year on the corner of Kahikatea Drive or State Highway 2 and Quentin Dr.

At Hamilton, the business says the store will be more than 11,340sq m, "comprising of the main store, indoor timber trade sales area, building materials and landscape supplies yard and outdoor nursery. The development of Bunnings Warehouse South Hamilton will also include an indoor playground, cafe, and parking for more than 260 cars.

At Arch Hill near Grey Lynn, plans for a big new Bunnings store were highly controversial and the Arch Hill Residents Society sought initially to stop it.

But planning commissioners allowed it. The society then entered confidential Environment Court mediation to win some major concessions.

Those included over issues of traffic, truck movements, lighting and sound. Nearby houses were to be be checked for structural damage from the building work, summer trading hours will be limited, loud speaker use will be controlled and traffic slowed by a proposed raised roadway to soften the mega-store's arrival.

Bunnings is highly profitable here.

Last August, the chain pushed up annual New Zealand sales 10.5 per cent to a record $899 million in the year to June.

Bunnings NZ general manager Jacqui Coombes said last year that the business, which employs more than 3700 people, saw marked improvements in a wide range of areas and sales were well up on last year's $813 million.

"There were also pleasing increases in earnings and the level of returns for the year. The allround breadth of trading performance was a highlight, with sales increasing in consumer and commercial areas and across all merchandising categories," the company said of its most recent result.