Shop renovation for merger

Press, 12 July 1980, Page 2

Shop renovation for merger

The former Farmers’ Cashel Street store would be redeveloped as a large mer- 1 chandise outlet for the re- i cently merged Farmers Hay- ' wright company, said the ; managing director (Mr, G. R. Lawn) yesterday. . 1 Plans to renovate and re- 1 furbish the store would pro- 1 ceed over the next few i months. As originally intended, trading would put 1 emphasis on appliances, fur- ■ niture, hardware, and trade- • in goods. The head office retail 1 activities would be central- 1 ised at the Colombo Street : store which would remain as ’ a full-line department store, ! said Mr Lawn. 1 The Colombo Street store would also continue to trade ; in big merchandise with the , Cashel Street store as an additional outlet dealing spe- 1 cifically in those,lines. :

Mr Lawn said that development plans for the Cashel Street store were nearing completion, but could not elaborate further at this stage. About 80 employees would be made ' redundant in Christchurch and Ashburton from the merger of the two companies. This ■ was fewer than had been thought .would Occur as some employees had been relocated in other Farmers Haywright stores. Most of the redundancies were in the clerical and warehousing sections where functions were duplicated, and to a small number of shop assistants, he said. Two of the three Farmers’ and Haywrights warehouses in Christchurch were on the market at present, Mr Lawn said.