Why Waipa¯ ’s right choice
Trade Depot boss relocates family for flagship store
Turn over a couple of pages and you’ll see a feature in today’s edition for Trade Depot — the massive warehouse and showroom we’ve been watching being built with interest at Titanium Business Park near Hamilton Airport.
Trade Depot is one of a number of new or relocated businesses filling one of Waipa¯’s premium business park ventures.
Director of the business is John Christie — in fact he is the founder and boss — and he met with me to explain why he has brought his wife Melissa and family to live in the Waikato so he can work from his new flagship store.
Trade Depot started in 2006 when John came up with the concept while he was owner of Takanini Mitre 10 Mega.
“I saw a product overseas that I thought my customers would like, so I bought a bulk shipment,” he says. “They sat in my store and I sold none, so I listed them online and sold the lot.
“That’s when I realised there was a nationwide market, not just local, and I could bulk buy products from overseas and sell them throughout New Zealand with a different model.”
Trade Depot in Auckland was born, but a few years later John needed to expand, so he looked for locations. He used the same rationale that he used to sell nationwide when he looked at where he could sell from.
The Titanium Business Park location ticked a lot of boxes, especially when he weighed up how the region was developing.
He says it had the room for a huge warehouse and showroom, was close to an airport so customers could fly in to shop, was near the soon to be completed Waikato Expressway, was closer to the Port of Tauranga, where much of his stock lands, but still handy enough to the Port of Auckland, and, crucially would benefit from the development of the Ruakura Inland Port.
John also gave credit to Waipa¯ District Council, and in particular Mayor Jim Mylchreest and GM Garry Dyet, for making the process go smoothly.
“It wasn’t all plain sailing, but when there were issues these two and council staff came up with solutions,” he says.
John is understandably proud of the new store, so big he took me on a tour using a golf cart.
In fact he has eight golf carts which he plans to use for VIP shoppers and for guided tours of the operation.
And now that the Christies are settled into the Waikato, they plan to become part of their new community and enjoy what the region has to offer.