15 August 2011

For Immediate Release

Mitre 10 – New Zealand’s Most Trusted Hardware Brand

Mitre 10 has been named one of New Zealand’s most trusted brands for the second year running with the New Zealand owned and operated retail chain again being named Reader’s Digest’s Most Trusted Hardware store.     

Mitre 10 CEO John Hartmann said the award reflected the values that Mitre 10 instilled in its staff and the service provided to New Zealand’s enthusiastic DIY handymen, gardeners and trades people.

“The Reader’s Digest survey asks its readers to consider their confidence in a brand, the integrity associated with that brand and their past experiences in dealing with the retailers in our sector,” said Mr Hartmann.

“We ask our people to focus on almost exactly these same values when working with our retail and trade customers and to come out on top for the second year running speaks volumes about the experiences people have in our stores and the trust they place in a brand that has been part of New Zealand for more than 40 years.”

Mr  Hartmann said the recognition that Mitre 10 was also good value for money was also very important. “We have a guarantee in place to ensure we’ll match any price that any customer can find and we’ll better that price by 15%. But customers recognising Mitre 10 as being good value for money means they are focused on more than just price. That’s encouraging when you consider how tight the economy is today.”

Mr Hartmann said Mitre 10 had been trading well in many areas despite the overall downturn being experienced by many retailers and that possibly reflected the repeat business that comes from being a trusted part of the retail landscape.

“While we have 98 stores throughout heartland New Zealand and the main centres I don’t think people realise we are such a large retailer. We are more than twice the size of our nearest competitor, the largest hardware retailer and the largest gardening supplier in the country.

“To build a business of that scale and retain the trust and confidence of your customers speaks volumes for the work of our owners, managers and staff.”

Media Inquiries to:

Dave Elliott

General Manager Marketing, Mitre 10 NZ Ltd

09 442 2792 or 027 511 6684

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For more information, please contact: Dave Elliot, General Marketing Manager, Mitre 10, Ph: 09 442 2792, Mob: 0275 116 684