Wesfarmers-owned NZ Safety Blackwoods has opened a flagship store in Auckland merchandising ‘fashionable’ workwear.
Spanning 1000sqm, the NZ Safety Blackwoods store houses durable workwear labels designed for the ‘fashion conscious’ tradies, and is equipped with mirrors and dressing rooms. The store also offers tools, engineering supplies, safety and personal protective equipment (PPE).
The flagship store is the start of NZ Safety Blackwoods’ retail expansion plan in the country over the coming year, according to the company.
“The old-school self-image of the typical New Zealand tradie has changed over recent years,” said Chris Mason, national manager – trade centres at NZ Safety Blackwoods. “This has manifested in a growing design trend for more stylish workwear which was traditionally seen as purely functional.
“The designer label on their work clothing is just as important to them as their casual clothes are and a range of recognisable fashion brands like KingGee, Levis and FXD have developed an offering to meet this need,” he added.
According to industry experts, the demand is being driven in part by an increase in the number of women entering trades – 39 per cent more than a decade ago.
Mason says the company’s investment in a local omnichannel expansion program will cover brick-and-mortar stores and its e-commerce platforms.
“There is a move towards a centralised purchasing model where being able to get everything they need to get the job done in one place means greater efficiency and less time away from the site,” Mason said. “Offering an integrated retail solution provides access to a wider range of products with the minimum time needed to make the purchase.”
According to Mason, the new store will feature a touch-screen terminal, allowing customers to order from more than 100,000 products with the option of delivery to their worksite or collection at trade centres.
While primarily targeting tradies, the retailer is actively promoting on site and via social media that it is open to allcomers to shop – one doesn’t have to be a registered business to shop there.
