Expanded BUCO store offers more
Bigger, revamped Kenton branch meets growing demand
The expansion of building and hardware outlet BUCO Kenton-on-Sea is testament to the growth of the town.
Construction industry veteran Neels Heunis was the guest speaker at the official opening of the newly revamped store in Kenton’s Main Street on
Saturday December 9. BUCO and its former iteration as D&A Timbers had served the community and surrounding areas for the past 45 years, said Heunis, who joined the family’s construction business in 1979.
“I was once referred to in a newspaper as a bricklayer –a messelaar – and it was quite a compliment because I have never laid a brick in my life,” quipped the local celebrity, who was given the honour of cutting the ribbon to officially open the revamped and expanded store.
In addition to selling building materials, the store’s expanded offering included a wider range of products, from well-known tool brands to hardware, electrical and plumbing products, both for building sites and at home.
Value added services included delivery, painting, gas exchange, cost estimation and project management.
BUCO Eastern Cape regional operations manager Marius Schmidt said the expansion project had started two months ago.
“Kenton is one of those areas where semigration is happening fast,” Schmidt said. “The area is growing and the store as it was just couldn’t handle the volume.
“We were very fortunate to have a piece of land next door to the store that allowed us to present to you what we’ve got today.
“It’s really a beautiful building and [store manager] Okkie [Goosen] and his team have done a fantastic job: they’ve been working long hours to get this up and running.”
The Kenton branch continued operating daily during the two-month expansion project.
“We’re very proud of the team and we look forward to the store going from strength to strength,” said Schmidt, who oversees branches in Port Alfred, Makhanda, Kenton, Gqeberha, Kariega, Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp and St Francis.
Goosen, BUCO Kenton-onSea’s branch manager said: “The team and I are very excited to be in the new space with the breathing room it offers, and super excited to be supplying building materials to our area to help uplift our community and our town.
“Little old Kenton isn’t little old Kenton any more: things are looking better and bolder and we look forward to continuing to do things for those who don’t have.”
Across the road from the store is the new outdoor gym apparatus installed on land made available by BUCO and overseen by the store.
BUCO has provided materials for the NSRI Survival Swimming programme in
Kenton and Port Alfred. Survival Swimming trainers and coordinators Carol Mewse and Carey Webster were among the NSRI volunteers selling boerewors rolls at the launch, with proceeds going to the project.