Supermarket for home handymen

Press, 15 September 1976, Page 5

Supermarket for home handymen

Magnet Discount Centre, the first home handyman discount centre in the South Island, is a major breakthrough in convenience shopping. The centre, at 305 Cashel Street, Christchurch (between Barbadoes Street and Fitzgerald Avenue) is ideally set up for the home handyman. It offers worthwhile discounts on a wide range of both indoor and outdoor items, including wallpaper, hardware, paint, concrete products, cement, plants and shrubs, garden supplies, wallboard, timber products, ironware, vanity units, kitchenware, tools and electrical appliances. The centre occupies a site of f acre where Horsley’s building supplies firm used to be. When Magnet took over the premises they set to work

and revamped the whole building, resealed the outdoor area, installed heating and lighting and christened it with modern pastel colours. Where Horsley’s used to specialise in trade customers, Magnet puts the emphasis on the home handyman. Instead of bulk loading a truck, Magnet offers pre-packed goods. Horsleys have moved to Riccarton and supply much of Magnet’s materials. “With the rising cost of living today people have got to shop where they can get the cheapest price to make the money spin out a bit better, and this is what we’re intending to do for the public,” says the manager, Mr Wayne McCrorie. But Magnet Discount Centre does not sacrifice quality to offer its reduced prices.

“We’ve got top quality products and we sell them at prices under most competitors,” he says. The centre is being opened officially today with a blaze of publicity, a host of specials and some interesting promotions. Children accompanied by parents will get free Wombles wallpaper, there is a television set being given away as a competition prize, and there is a magnetic prize board. Magnet Discount Centre is modelled on American centres with similar refinements. The emphasis is on convenience, competitive prices and service. Indoors the centre resembles a supermarket, which is not surprising since Mr McCrorie was a supermarket manager before he took over as man-

ager of Magnet Discount Centre in April. Convenience is illustrated in several ways. When you drive down Cashel Street you see the large yellow sign with the distinctive M symbol advertising just where the centre is. Then you are guided by other signs to a car park capable of parking 40 cars. Or if you have a heavy load or outdoor equipment to purchase you may use the express lane which empties out through a chute exit to Hereford Street.

If you go into the covered 'area you feel as if you are in a supermarket, with plenty of space between shelves of welldisplayed goods marked with both the recommended price and discount price. And if you need help there is a staff of nine on hand. The range of products is impressive. It means that you can shop here for most things you need for the week-end or for larger projects. “We’ll offer the best service possible. We’re also prepared to refund if things are damaged or infe-

rior or not to the customer’s satisfaction if they bring it back with their docket,” says Mr McCrorie. Heading the staff are the assistant manager, Mr lan Douglas, who was sales supervisor for Horsley’s for 17 years and has a wealth of experience in concrete products, Dave Simmons, garden manager, who has almost finished his degree in botany and is probably better known as cox of the New Zealand coxed fours at Montreal; and hardware manager Mr Keith Fisk, who had five years with Calder McKay Ltd as hardware buyer.