PUTTING OUR CUSTOMERS FIRST

The 25th annual Hardware Awards took place early November in Auckland, where PlaceMakers was nominated in all ‘Hardware and Builders’ Supply Merchant’ categories and took home
two awards.

After a year of uncertainty and challenge, it was great to have our teams’ achievements recognised and celebrated, with PlaceMakers taking out the Trade Store of the Year and Trade Account Manager of the Year awards.

Trade Store of the Year

PlaceMakers Mt Wellington branch was named Trade Store of the Year – a category open to all hardware, builders supply trade stores that service the trade sector.

Mt Wellington was one of the handful of PlaceMakers branches operating at Level 4 lockdown. Roger McRae, recently promoted to Branch Manager, believes that teamwork is what mattered most.

“I would say Mark Moffit, who was Branch Manager until recently, deserves a lot of credit for unifying our 80-strong team, but I know Mark agrees that every team member went above and beyond in their own efforts to adapt and to always keep the customers’ needs in mind during the very challenging 2020 year.”

Roger is clear that the award is evidence that staff have worked together to put their customers’ needs first.

“We’ve got a service promise and the company values to uphold, both of which put the customer at the centre of what we do, and I believe these really come alive in our branch. The way we work here is that every team member plays a part and every part works together – from sales, to customer service, to operations. It’s definitely a case of ‘teamwork makes the dream work’.”

In terms of the future, Roger is looking forward to the team having another good year in 2021.

“This year is going to be exciting – with some of the new systems that were rolled out in 2020, like ‘Trade App’ and ‘Skip the counter’, we are set up to further cement how we make our service all about our customers. Some of our customers are old school – they want to come in and chat, while others want to order on their phone at night – we now have options to suit everyone.”

Trade Account Manager of the Year

The 2020 Trade Account Manager of the Year was won by Anson Tan from PlaceMakers Mt Wellington.

This award acknowledges an account manager who continuously demonstrates the highest standard of professionalism in sales and account management.

Anson impressed the judges with his strong customer focus to create value and solve problems. Anson was a consistently strong performer, delivering strong results regardless of the market conditions.

Former Branch Operator Mark Moffit explained Anson had worked hard and his customer-service strengths resulted in this award.

“Anson’s performance in the ultra-competitive Auckland market has been outstanding – a tribute to his tenacity and having built genuine trust with his many long-standing customers,” said former Branch Operator Mark Moffit.

Anson was grateful for the team he had around him and proud to have his efforts recognised.

“This award is the most exciting and unforgettable moment in my career,“ said Anson. “I feel like after coming a long way, I have finally made it. I also really appreciate the support I’ve had from the team, which has been a big part of why I have this award now.“

PlaceMakers also had two finalists in this category – Bradley Cross from PlaceMakers Queenstown and Craig Wallis  from PlaceMakers Cook Street in Auckland.

Retailer of the Year Finalist

This award recognises a truly outstanding retailer – builders’ merchant who has shown initiative and enterprise in leading their team. Joe Reece, from PlaceMakers Whitianga, was a finalist in this award, and not for the first time, having been a finalist in 2017 too!

Young Retailer of the Year finalist

This award recognises a young retailer or builders’ merchant who has achieved a high standard in their retailing career.  Morgan Caine, from PlaceMakers Westgate was a finalist in this award.

Retail Store of the Year finalist

The category is open to hardware and builders’ supply merchants of all sizes, who were judged for the quality of their service. PlaceMakers Waiheke was a finalist in this award.

The strong presence of PlaceMakers team members in these categories further demonstrates our ongoing commitment to better serving our customers. We are pleased to be acknowledged by the industry in this way and would like to extend our congratulations to all the winners, finalists and nominees!