Design venture with a global influence
Christchurch design consultancy Redesign Group might be relatively small but it has clients and staff in far-flung places.
Founder Jo Pennycuick started the company 19 years ago, beginning with consultancy work for commercial office fitouts.
‘‘Then I did a cafe and that started the ball rolling on the retail front.’’
She has built her client base to include fitouts for local and international airport terminals as well.
Redesign’s work can be found in 23 countries in Europe, Asia, America and Australasia.
It has offices in Dubai, Vietnam, India employing several designers and architects on airport terminals and other projects.
Recent examples of local work include the new Cafe Edge and Artisan Bakery at Edgeware, New York Deli in the BNZ Centre in Hereford St, Andrea Biani shoe shop, Lil Ruby cafe, and the Robert Harris rollout.
‘‘A client will come to us to set up a cafe so we go through process of finding names, catch phrases and the things that make up branding,’’ Pennycuick says.
This can include everything down to the client company’s logo on food packaging and coffee cups.
The New Zealand team is the design hub for the business.
‘‘We appoint a project manager and we carry out the documentation for building tenders and consents from local authorities like the city council.
‘‘It’s about functionality and guiding people through the process. There’s quite an art to it.
‘‘Cafe design is complex and there are a lot of compliance issues because there are plumbing, electrical and mechanical elements to it. You have to understand how they all fit together.
‘‘We also have to assure people we can deliver high-level prefabricated joinery. It’s very specific, high-end work.’’
Pennycuick has close relationships with fitout firms which do this kind of joinery.
When it comes to business direction, Pennycuick takes advice from legal and accounting experts at EY, and attends various networking conferences. She’s also involved in working groups at the Canterbury Employers Chamber of Commerce.
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise also provides welcome advice and information and so do the high commissions in the countries she visits.
Pennycuick described herself as an opportunist.
‘‘I’m associated with a lot of other things that help our business grow. Sometimes it morphs into sending goods overseas that someone wants.
‘‘There are always changes in business, markets are very turbulent. You have to look at your sixmonth plan.’’
Pennycuick’s day begins at 5am so she can be in real-time contact via email with offices overseas, and it usually ends with late evening communications.
But she said she makes time for family and likes to work out at the gym.