Timaru’s Mitre 10 Mega store is set to expand, doubling the size of the garden centre and growing the retail area of the store.
Simon Lye, managing director of the Collins Group, which owns Mitre 10 Mega Timaru, said he was excited about what was estimated to be a further $10 million commitment to the town centre.
‘‘As a locally owned and operated business, we’ve been a mainstay retailer in town for many years and we plan to be here for many many more.
‘‘We want to see the heart of Timaru remain vibrant and busy and we hope the work we’re doing to our store will contribute to that future.’’
The garden centre would double in size, move to the sunny north end of the site and offer a much wider range of plants, Mr Lye said.
The retail floor area would increase by about 1000sq m with an entirely new layout reflecting Mitre 10’s latest format design for stores, elements of which were being trialled in the new Silverdale store which opened this month.
Having acquired the neighbouring Guthrie Bowron and vacant Lighting Direct sites, construction work was due to begin this month.
Guthrie Bowron would move up the road to new premises in Bank St, opposite the public library.
The project would be carried out in two phases, Mr Lye said.
Stage 1 was the new garden centre, which was planned to open in spring next year, followed by the expansion of the retail space, estimated to be complete mid-2025.
‘‘We’ve been working towards this for some time and we’re looking forward to bringing a thoroughly modern but authentically Mitre 10 experience to our loyal customers and community.
‘‘We’re grateful for the support they’ve shown us over the years and we’re pleased to return that support by working with local trade businesses to complete this project,’’ he said.
a The Collins Group is a family-owned business that operates Mitre 10 Mega Timaru, Mitre 10 Mega Ashburton and Mitre 10 Mega Oamaru.
Owned by the Lye family, the Collins Group has more than 100 years’ history in the timber and hardware industries in New Zealand.
Founder William Henry Collins opened the original
W. H. Collins & Co store in Ashburton in 1889. In 1977, the Collins Group brought the Ashburton store into the Mitre 10 co-operative and in 1979 opened Mitre 10 Timaru. In 1992, Robertson’s Hardware joined the Collins Group, bringing with it the Oamaru store. Mitre 10 Ashburton transitioned to the Mitre 10 Mega format in 2006, followed by Mitre 10 Timaru in 2010 and most recently Oamaru in 2020.
Mr Lye has worked within the Collins Group for nearly 30 years, taking the reins when his father Richard retired more than a decade ago.
Mitre 10 (New Zealand) Ltd is a co-operative of 84 (soon to be 85) locally owned stores, employing more than 8000 team members nationwide.
