PlaceMakers Hawke’s Bay will open the doors on a newly-built store in mid-January, complete with a new set of customer service promises setting the standard customers can expect.
Local builders Stead Construction have substantially refurbished an existing building to create the new PlaceMakers store at 43 Corunna Bay, with Mackersey Construction delivering the fit-out, including:
• An expansive and easy access drive-through area with a much larger undercover area. The drive-through and yard covers an area larger than 6500sq m.
• A larger showroom with room to display the latest in building solutions, kitchens and bathrooms.
• Sustainable building practices which mean a reduced carbon footprint.
Andrew Milne is internally promoted to head up an experienced team that is focused on delivering the newly rolled out PlaceMakers Customer Service promise charter. Mr Milne knows the 24-strong team, who have more than 300 years’ experience between them, is committed to giving the customer an experience they’ll keep returning for.
He says the team is right behind these promises because “we want to make it easy for the trade to do business with us. We know that getting these things right means our trade customer will save time and money. It just makes sense”.
Mr Milne has developed a strong career in distribution, established through various roles in the construction industry, with Saint Gobain Building Distribution in the UK and, latterly, PlaceMakers in New Zealand.
Most recently he has been part of the Silverdale team where he had held the role of operations manager.
Mr Milne has a strong understanding of the building supplies industry, as well as a sound practical grounding in construction, having completed a trade qualification in carpentry.
The new store offers an overall enhanced experience, particularly in the yard, especially when compared to the old site in Taradale Rd (set to close on January 16, 2015), where the drive through and yard constrained mobility and access owing to a busy arterial road.
The new site at Corunna Bay removes all of that, and offers great street frontage along with a two-lane undercover drive-through, with the latest PlaceMakers range in the trade hall, drive-through and yard.
The new store itself is offering a more intuitive layout than previously experienced. Low level racking makes finding your way around easier and more efficient.
There’s refreshed bathroom and Peter Hay kitchen displays for the home owner and builder alike. PlaceMakers has had great success with its kitchen offering in the past 18 months, and looks set to repeat that with bathrooms.
The new purpose-built store will use “green” building initiatives such as daylight harvesting, and next generation energy efficient LED and automated dimmable lighting, all designed to minimise PlaceMakers’ carbon footprint.
PlaceMakers operations and marketing general manager Gary Woodhouse says every new store the company builds will be built to a standard that is energy efficient, and in line with sustainable building practices.
“In terms of the customer service promises and the commitment to the trade, PlaceMakers is pledging that the core trade lines will never be out of stock,” he says.
We know that delivering in full and on time is crucial to a successful project for our customers, and we are committed to making sure that the core trade lines are always in-stock.
“We will be measuring our success in this area, and we will get this right — it’s a priority. We’re also standing behind our frame and truss offer by ‘making good’ if we don’t meet the agreed time frame — a make-good that will cost us $200 a day for every day we go over, so we’re very serious about getting it right!”
Accurate invoicing, answering the phone and offering an urgent “pick up” service for those emergencies means the store team knows what to prioritise when it comes right down to it. We think these promises are a real point of difference, and demonstrates our “customer first’ ethos.”
PlaceMakers Hawke’s Bay serves an area from Gisborne south to Central Hawke’s Bay.
