Mitre 10 axes up to 35 jobs

National home improvement chain Mitre 10 is laying off 30 to 35 people at its Glenfield support centre.

Chief executive Craig Wilson said yesterday that the business was making changes at the centre, which employed 178 people.

But he also emphasised Mitre 10 had big expansion plans, with new shops opening around New Zealand, and was employing staff elsewhere.

Mitre 10 has 100 stores and Mr Wilson said the member co-operative business was a huge employer. It had about 3500 staff and the changes at Glenfield were an attempt to do things better.

"I do not know of a single company in our industry that is not looking at their present cost structures," Mr Wilson said.

DIY chain Bunnings last week announced a $150 million expansion that will result in six new stores and 600 new jobs in the next two years.

Mr Wilson said his business was also expanding, opening new stores in Timaru and Masterton and adding about 60 jobs in those centres.

New Mitre 10 stores are being built in Westport and Cromwell and a resource consent application has been lodged for a new Alexandra store.

New shops are planned for Northland, Warkworth, Lunn Ave in Mt Wellington, the Waikato, Taupo, Paraparaumu, Tawa, Kilbirnie and Christchurch (2).