Engineering supplier's upgrade aimed at small firms

Blackwoods Paykels national manager Paul Watson. Photo / Supplied

Engineering and industrial supplies company Blackwoods Paykels is making a pitch to the small business market with a $5 million upgrade of its outlets.

This week the company officially opened its new retail and distribution facility at the Highbrook business park in East Tamaki.

It has gradually been doing up all its outlets across the country, and bringing its safety gear business Protector Safety under the same roof.

National manager Paul Watson said it had spent $5 million so far upgrading 15 stores with another seven to go.

He said the Highbrook outlet offered the added benefit to customers of having the distribution centre on site.

It was also within an hour's drive for most of the key industries around Auckland.

Watson said Blackwoods Paykels had seen no real decline in trading on its corporate accounts which make up 40 to 50 per cent of its business.

But there had been a significant decline in the small to medium enterprise market where businesses had postponed expenditure on equipment. "Even on the safety side they're saying 'no, my work boots can go a little bit longer'."

It was starting to see customers coming back, particularly on the safety side, and it aimed to capitalise on that.

Blackwoods Paykels joined the Flybuys scheme last year and was making a push to sign its small customers up.