Merchants face ’big challenge’

Press, 4 November 1978, Page 22

Merchants face ’big challenge’

The trend away from new : housing towards urban renewal and home improvements was one of the biggest challenges timber merchapts could remember, said the general manager of the New Zealand Timber Merchants Federation (Mr C. R. Gibbs). Roseau. Providing timber for new housing was the most important aspect of merchants' businesses, he said. The federation had established its priorities, Mr Gibbs I said. These were research, I staff retraining, and public .education. i Because of the change, the) | market would become more I consumer-oriented, and home

' owners who made improve- . ments to properties would choose their own materials. jThe building industry made finest decisions in new > houses. ‘ Builders would have to be ’ taught to tidy up after a > day working on home improvements. Mr Gibbs said. Research in a bid to antici- ’ i pate increased demand for • new housing, in case mer- ’ chants were caught short of Timber, would be necessary. Mr Gibbs said that mers I chants and builders would ,|not have to lay off staff. /Urban renewal and home i improvements would provide i substitute work, and mer‘lchants had a large renewable resource to draw from.