One past CEO and two veteran Mitre 10 owners have been inducted into a newly established Mitre 10 hall of fame at the retailer’s annual awards dinner.
The inductees were presented by Mitre 10 CEO, Neil Cowie, to the 700 store owners, staff and suppliers in attendance, recognising the people in Mitre 10 who have helped sculpt the company into New Zealand’s largest home improvement and gardening retailer.
The inaugural inductees into the hall of fame are Mitre 10’s first CEO Jim Mason, who established Mitre 10 in NZ, Reg and Helen Smith, who entered into the Christchurch home improvement business in 1964, and Derek and Audrey Ricketts, who joined the Mitre 10 Group in 1975 and today own four stores along with their sons.
Cowie said establishing the Mitre 10 hall of fame was an important milestone for the co-operative.
“Mitre 10 has a long and successful history,” Cowie said. “This success is thanks to the many passionate and remarkable New Zealanders who have been committed to serving our company and this country.
“We believe it is timely as we head into our forty-first year of business to reflect and recognise the contributions these inspirational New Zealanders have made to create the Mitre 10 story.
“We see induction into the hall of fame as recognition of continuous commitment to outstanding home improvement retailing in NZ, and for that we consider it the pinnacle of our Mitre 10 Awards.”
