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New Zealand’s largest retailer opens in Auckland tomorrow

Nido at 158 Central Park Drive, Henderson

Venkat Raman
Auckland, May 29, 2020

A new Name and Chapter in Retailing

New Zealand’s largest furniture and homewares retailer Nido will open its doors to the public tomorrow, Saturday, May 30 2020.

With its extensive range of solutions for various industries, businesses and homes, the advent of Nido will be a major boost to Auckland’s economy and the country’s employment sector.

Located in West Auckland, close to the Motorways, the new Store occupies 27,000 sq metres of land and floor area and cost $60 million to build.

It will carry more than 10,000 product lines, arguably the most extensive retail store in New Zealand.

Nido is 100% New Zealand-owned company and will create 180 new jobs.

Some members of the Nido Team. Managing Director Vinod Kumar is standing in the Centre

Managing Director Vinod Kumar, who has more than four decades of experience in related wholesale and retail business, said that hundreds of containers of products arrived New Zealand in the months prior to Covid-19, which meant that there was no interruption in supply lines.

“We will a wide range of items as we open the store tomorrow,” he said.

International sourcing

Nido is a dream project for Mr Kumar, who faced several challenges over the past nine or more years. This included extensive research, compliance and other issues.

With his penchant to offer the most extensive and unparalled choice of products, Mr Kumar and his team have sourced products from various parts of New Zealand, United States of America and Europe, making it the largest retail operation in the country.

Products for home and office from Nido

“We will eventually offer online shopping functionality through our website and provide nationwide distribution for our products shortly, Mr Kumar said.

He said that apart from substantial financial investment, Nido has taken in nine years of research into the most innovative retail models considered in various parts of the world.

“Nido will offer 80 exclusive brands and feature more than 100 display rooms. These will be continuously updated. This store will open a new chapter in retailing in New Zealand,” he said.

The bounty of Nature to be shared by all

Boosting consumer confidence

First Retail Group Managing director Chris Wilkinson said that the opening of Nido will boost retail confidence and help reinvigorate the category amongst Kiwi consumers.

“People have been focused on their home environment for the past eight weeks, and we know that during the lockdown, the businesses in these categories have done very well selling their essential items. These types of Stores will be the first destinations Kiwis head to once we come out of lockdown as many of them will have identified projects they want to get started,” he said. 

Mr Wilkinson said that along with home makeovers, businesses will also be looking to offerings like Nido as we transition to a new way of working post-Covid-19.

Significant change

“We are going to see a significant change in people’s workplaces and more of us will be working from home, and hence business owners are also going to need to reconsider commercial environments and office solutions, so we expect to see growth here too,” he said.

Mr Wilkinson said that increasingly, New Zealanders are looking for shopping solutions that are bought together under one roof.

An Artist’s impression of the exterior view of Nido at 158 Central Park Drive, Henderson, Auckland

“We expect customers to travel from the Waikato and Bay of Plenty to purchase from the Store. I think that it is inspirational for the New Zealand market, the products have been carefully curated to focus on what New Zealand consumers like and want, they have a universal appeal but underpinning that is an answer to a Kiwi demand for products which have convenience and value,” Mr Wilkinson said.

Mr Kumar said that the new Store will cater to a wide range of budgets and tastes and New Zealanders will be able to access the latest products, technology and global design trends all under one roof. 

“The scale of our Store is hard to comprehend until you are in it, but to give some indication, we are able to accommodate a full-size three-bedroom show-home inside. This has been home-staged by our team of interior designers,” he said.

About Vinod Kumar

Nido Managing Director Vinod Kumar

Born in Fiji, Vinod Kumar graduated in Civil Engineering from the University of Auckland in 1975 and launched his career at Fletcher Construction. After becoming a Permanent Resident in 1987, he brought his family from Fiji and built his first family home in Blockhouse Bay, Auckland. Despite the recession in 1989, he established his first retail business with Mitre 10 in Henderson. The venture expanded rapidly and he continued to invest in the business.

Mr Kumar won in several categories of the Indian Newslink Indian Business Awards, including the ‘Supreme Business of the Year Award’ in its launch year in 2008 and again in 2013. At each of the acceptance speeches, he advocated for better facilitation of investors and businesspersons, asking the government of the day and commercial banks for appropriate policies and incentives.

He was also voted twice ‘New Zealand Retailer of the Year.’

Nido Business Division

The Company’s Commercial Division Nido@work will also carry thousands of European and locally sourced commercial furniture products targeting business from SMEs to large-scale corporates and government departments.

Mr Kumar is excited about the opening of Nido and looks forward to the opening of the secone phase of opening following the lifting of all Covid-19 restrictions.

“More product lines, including large furniture and room settings will also be made available in the coming weeks as lockdown restrictions are lifted and parking spaces for more than 600 vehicles. The first stage of recruitment has been completed with a further 90 roles to be advertised later in the year,” Mr Kumar said.

 

 

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