Newmans for Auck.

Press, 16 June 1988, Page 2

Newmans for Auck.

I Nelson reporter Nelson’s biggest company, the Newmans Group, will shift its base to Auckland. The managing director, Mr Rex Loach, who recently announced that he was taking early retirement, advised staff of the impending move yesterday. No date has been set for the move and it is not clear how many of the 25 head office staff affected by the move will go to Auckland. Nor has any announcement been made about what will happen to the company’s award-winning head office building in Nelson.; Rumours are that the company’s base could shift since the 49 per cent of Newmans Group

previously owned by Rada was sold to the Auckland-based firm, Corporate Investments, Ltd, in March. The rumours were further fuelled by Mr Loach’s decision to quit the company.

Mr Loach said yesterday that the Newmans board had been studying the logic of retaining the head office in Nelson after the sales of the freighting division and the minerals division, both of which had been Nelson-based. “Such a move is: necessary to ensure that the company will continue in the most : efflcient manner [with closer geographic proximity to the cdntrol offices of its major tourist subsidiaries,” Mr

Loach said. “As New Zealand’s leader in the tourist industry Newmans’ operations are spread throughout the country and are increasingly international in character.

“The decision has not been an easy one after Newmans’ 110 years association with the City of Nelson,” he said.

The son of one of the founders of the original firm, Sir Jack-Newman, said he was saddened by the move away from Nelson. Sir Jack noted that one of the group’s subsidiary companies, Newmans Coach Lines, Ltd, would continue to be based in < Nfeison, as would Newmans Export, Ltd.