Remarkable story of success

Press, 31 January 1984, Page 13

Remarkable story of success

The opening of the new Linwood shop this week brings the Knitwit phenomenon to eastern Christchurch, making this the eighteenth such outlet in New Zealand. The remarkable success of the Knitwit concept can be traced to its founder, a

Sydney housewife who started the first Knitwit shop 11 years ago.

Mrs Vera Randall devel-

oped a programme to teach the simple skills of stretchfabric sewing to busy people who had neither the time nor the patience for complicated dressmaking. From that first small fabric shop, Knitwit has expanded to a multi-million dollar business, still personally controlled by Mrs Randall, with franchises in England and South Africa as well as Australia and New Zealand. The New Zealand franchise is owned by a long-time friend of Mrs Randall, Mrs Janette Wild, and her husband Maui, who were impressed by the success of Knitwit in Australia and saw the possibilities for its expansion into their own home market. From the first New Zealand outlet, which opened in Howick about six years ago, Janette and Maui Wild have developed the Knitwit concept to cover the country from Whangarei to Invercargill and the Linwood shop is the second to open in Christchurch.

Knitwit relies on the characteristics of knit fabrics — their ability to stretch, which makes garments better-fitting; their tendency not to fray; and the ease with which they wash and wear.

The Knitwit teaching programme shows students how to make garments with a professional finish, using straight-forward techniques and avoiding the more complicated and time-consum-ing aspects such as zips, darts and buttonholes.

Each shop is owner-oper-ated, while at the same time keeping close links with both the New Zealand and the Australian principals.

Marketing techniques, staff training programmes, and developments in styles, fabrics and sewing techniques are regularly updated, bringing the various operators together in what Mrs Kitto describes as “a family atmosphere.”