Nido megastore to launch in spring as Kiwi businessman takes on Ikea

A Kiwi businessman is taking on international retail giant Ikea with his own megastore that will sell made-to-measure flatpack furniture and will offer an installation service.

After nine years of planning, Vinod Kumar is opening Nido – a $60 million, 27,000-square-metre furniture and homeware store that is under construction in Henderson, West Auckland.

Kumar said the store would employ more than 200 staff, carry more than 10,000 product lines featuring 80 ‘‘exclusive brands’’, and be 100 per cent New Zealand owned and operated.

Kumar, who is the managing director of Nido, would not go into what specific brands would be available but said they would be mostly European.

Nido would specialise in flatpack panel furniture that shoppers could order in custom sizes, he said. It would also have an installation arm to its business if customers were not wanting to do it themselves, he said.

‘‘If they want to tackle it themselves then so be it and we will help them along.’’

Made-to-measure products would be designed and manufactured overseas before being shipped to New Zealand, he said.

The product ranges would have two main price points – one at the low end, and a more premium offering, he said.

Nido would target the increasing number of New Zealanders living in more compact homes and apartments, he said. ‘‘We want to show them how to maximise every inch of their home.’’

The furniture would include items such as floor-to-ceiling wardrobes and kitchen cabinetry.

Kumar said the size and scale of the Nido store would be unlike anything seen in New Zealand.

‘‘At 27,000sqm this will be the largest retail operation in the country. And for those outside of Auckland, we will offer online shopping functionality,’’ he said.

Kumar was instrumental in the development of the Mitre 10 Mega concept.

The announcement of Nido comes less than two weeks after Swedish-founded multinational retail giant Ikea announced it would open a store in Auckland. However, that was at least a few years away.

Nido would open in spring, with 10 per cent of the build already complete, Kumar said.

Kumar said New Zealanders would be able to shop online before the physical store opened.

Commercial property investment firm Maat Group would fund the business, he said.

‘‘At 27,000 square metres this will be the largest retail operation in the country.’’

Vinod Kumar

An artist’s impression of Nido, a new homeware and furniture retailer opening in West Auckland. The store will be the largest retail space in New Zealand, managing director Vinod Kumar says.