Bunnings has opened one of its biggest stores in the country

Image of Bunnings store
Bunnings operates home improvement stores across Australia and New Zealand.
Image of Bunnings store
Bunnings operates home improvement stores across Australia and New Zealand.

Bunnings now has 40 bricks-and-mortar stores in New Zealand, with the opening of its newest location roughly 20km outside of Auckland in Westgate.

The 15,000sqm store features a main warehouse, fully enclosed timber trade sales and building materials yard, outdoor nursery, cafe and playground. It has undercover carparking for over 300 cars and a five-lane drive-thru with 12 indoor car spaces.

Bunnings Westgate is also the first in the country to have a Dream Kitchen Design Centre, with more than 10 kitchen displays, along with six bathroom displays and assisted living displays.

“The team has been working really hard to get the store ready for opening and we can’t wait to welcome customers through our doors to enjoy the grand opening activities and help them with their D.I.Y. projects,” Michael Winiata, complex manager of Bunnings Westgate, said in a statement released before the store officially opened.

A grand opening event will take place this weekend, August 1-2, with DIY workshops and giveaways, as well as family-friendly activities.

The opening of the Westgate store follows a review of the local Bunnings store network in late 2019, which resulted in the closure of three smaller stores, located in Te Aroha, Waikanae and Paeroa, according to a report by Newshub.

Poor trading conditions due to Covid-19 recently led the retailer to announce a further seven store closures in May, including the Ashburton Warehouse, the Hornby and Hastings trade centres and four smaller stores, located in Cambridge, Rangiora, Te Awamutu and Putaruru, according to Newshub.

While the seven store closures impacted the jobs of 145 team members, Bunnings has created nearly the same number of jobs with the opening of the Westgate store, which employs 140 people.

In 2018, Bunnings had 55 stores in New Zealand and was hoping to double its local revenue within five years.

The retailer, which is owned and operated by ASX-listed Wesfarmers, does not break out its New Zealand sales, but it reported a 5.3 per cent increase in revenue across its ANZ business in the first half of FY20 to A$7.3 billion (NZ$7.9 billion), with earnings increasing 3.1 per cent to A$961 million (NZ$1 billion).

Wesfarmers will report its full-year earnings on August 20.

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