Trade Depot founder and director John Christie has moved with his wife Melissa and family to the Waikato where he can work from the new flagship Hamilton Airport premises. Photo / Dean Taylor
Trade Depot founder and director John Christie has moved with his wife Melissa and family to the Waikato where he can work from the new flagship Hamilton Airport premises. Photo / Dean Taylor
For the past couple of years locals have been watching with interest at the construction of Trade Depot — the massive warehouse and showroom at Titanium Business Park near Hamilton Airport.
Trade Depot is one of a number of new or relocated businesses filling one of Waipā's premium business park ventures.
Director of the business is John Christie — in fact he is the founder and boss — and he met with me to explain why he has brought his wife Melissa and family to live in the Waikato so he can work from his new flagship store.
Trade Depot Hamilton Airport showroom and shop entrance.Photo / Supplied
Trade Depot started in 2006 when John came up with the concept while he was owner of Takanini Mitre 10 Mega.
"I saw a product overseas that I thought my customers would like, so I bought a bulk shipment," he says.
Trade Depot founder and director John Christie with new Hamilton Airport site employee, retail assistant Mare Poka from Te Awamutu. Photo / Dean Taylor
"They sat in my store and I sold none, so I listed them online and sold the lot.
"That's when I realised there was a nationwide market, not just local, and I could bulk buy products from overseas and sell them throughout New Zealand with a different model."
View of Trade Depot Hamilton Airport shop and showroom, through to the warehouse. Photo / Supplied
Trade Depot in Auckland was born, but a few years later John needed to expand, so he looked for locations. He used the same rationale that he used to sell nationwide when he looked at where he could sell from.
The Titanium Business Park location ticked a lot of boxes, especially when he weighed up how the region was developing.
He says it had the room for a huge warehouse and showroom, was close to an airport so customers could fly in to shop, was near the soon to be completed Waikato Expressway, was closer to the Port of Tauranga, where much of his stock lands, but still handy enough to the Port of Auckland, and, crucially would benefit from the development of the Ruakura Inland Port.
John also gave credit to Waipā District Council, and in particular Mayor Jim Mylchreest and GM Garry Dyet, for making the process go smoothly.
"It wasn't all plain sailing, but when there were issues these two and council staff came up with solutions," he says.
John is understandably proud of the new store, so big he took me on a tour using a golf cart.
Trade Depot Hamilton Airport has miles of aisles of stock for customers to compare. Photo / Supplied
In fact he has eight golf carts which he plans to use for VIP shoppers and for guided tours of the operation.
And now that the Christies are settled into the Waikato, they plan to become part of their new community and enjoy what the region has to offer.
Trade Depot Hamilton Airport has miles of aisles of stock for customers to compare. Photo / Supplied
After four years in the planning New Zealand's biggest bathroom, kitchen and appliance store is up and running and ready to show customers what they have to offer.
Trade Depot's purpose-built warehouse at 12-24 Sharpe Rd, Rukuhia, Hamilton in the Titanium Business Park is just a stone's throw or two from the Hamilton Airport.
This prime space was chosen for various reasons starting with convenience, being an easy drive or flight from most towns in the North Island plus it needed to be simple for people to come and try out the products.
With a lot of existing homes and new builds happening in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty region they wanted to tap into that market. When you have the local council encouraging new development in the area, you know you must be on to a winner.
This massive warehouse is 30,000 square meters (5 rugby fields inside) and has parking for 150 cars and trailers, so there's plenty of space for a few attempts at parking the trailer! There is enough stock on site to fill 500 shipping containers, that tells you the scale of this business.
Trade Depot aisles. Photo / Supplied
The showroom and shop have over 2km of well-laid out displays that have been designed to assist you in choosing what is going to work for you and your taste. With more than 60 staff on site, you can be assured your every need will be catered for.
Point of difference
The main point of difference between Trade Depot and other hardware suppliers is that they concentrate on everything kitchens, bathrooms and appliances. Everything you are going to need to finish off those special rooms in your home. From the smaller budget right up to high end, not only do you have an enormous choice to choose from, they will also accommodate your budget.
Currently they are selling around 150,000 large appliances, 5000 heat pumps and bathroom fixtures purchased to renovate over 35,000 bathrooms per year. This makes Trade Depot one of the three top appliance distributors in New Zealand.
Stock is sourced worldwide including Italy, France and China and when selecting stock, they look for reliability, a low maintenance life, as well as modern styling and good performance.
Trade Depot Hamilton Airport checkouts. Photo / Supplied
"Vogue" is Trade Depot's own brand and is becoming a familiar name in a lot of New Zealand homes.
They are also proud to be NZ's primary distributor of "Midea" a world-wide manufacturer of over 100 million large appliances-The worlds #1 large appliance maker.
Made in France, Brandt and De Dietrich luxury brands of cooking appliances are stocked. The Brandt brand is well-known for their commercial pyrolytic cleaning ovens and household induction cooktops. De Dietrich is a leading brand that is well-known for its ultimate sensor cooking technology.
The large volume of appliances that leave the floor here at Trade Depot means the savings are passed on to the customer resulting in huge cost reductions, especially if you are fitting out a new home.
Whether you are building or renovating, Trade Depot have turned what sometimes can be a stressful experience into a relaxing day out.
You can start by shopping online, their website is easy to navigate and nationwide delivery makes purchasing a breeze.
Or you can compile your list, fly or drive up to their warehouse, check out your selected items, place your order and depending on the spend, it will be delivered free of charge.
Lastly, you could hitch up your trailer or horse float, choose your appliances and they will be loaded on to your trailer - job done! How easy is that?
This is a question I always ask no matter what appliance I buy and from where. Imported appliances run with so many regular parts and components, so you can breathe easy if for some reason you need a replacement.
Undercover truck unloading area at Trade Depot Hamilton Airport. Photo / Dean Taylor
Also, on the horizon for Trade Depot is an appliance repair center where you can get most brands of appliances serviced while you wait. Trade Depot's environmental plan includes introducing a lot more recycling and waste reduction.
And still to come
All going to plan, a new café will be open in June, so if you are from out of town you will be able to relax and recharge your batteries with great coffee and cake. Couldn't think of a better way to spend a day!
Trade Depot Hamilton Airport warehouse utilises a stacking system over racking for as much stock as possible as it is faster and saves costs. Photo / Supplied
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