Mitre 10: New Zealand’s Favourite Home Improvement Stores

Kiwis love DIY. And for our DIY handiwork, we need quality DIY tools, supplies and advice. And where better to find them than in your local home improvement store?

For many Kiwis, home improvement stores are more than just practical places for practical purchases. They are part of the great weekend tradition. Places where you can grab a coffee, brunch or a sizzling sausage, alongside DIY and garden supplies.

Home improvement is one of our favourite pastimes. And, as such, we take our DIY seriously. But which home improvement store is the favourite choice of Kiwis?

To find out, we surveyed 1903 Kiwis who had made a purchase from a home improvement store in the past year, to find out how they feel about their shopping experiences.

Mitre 10 comes out top

For the second year in a row, Mitre 10 comes out top, as Kiwis’ favourite home improvement store, and winner of our Most Satisfied Customers | Home Improvement Stores Award.

To find out which store is the favourite of the nation, we asked respondents to evaluate home improvement stores over the following categories.

• Overall Satisfaction
• Online Store
• Range of Brands
• Range of Products
• Service & Advice
• Value for Money

And Kiwis make it clear that Mitre 10 is their favourite, awarding it a clean sweep of 5-Star scores. Not only does Mitre 10 earn 5 Stars across the board, but it is the only store to receive 5 Stars for Overall Satisfaction. In fact, Mitre 10 earns more 5 Stars than all the other stores in our survey combined!

Bunnings earns a single 5-Star result, for Value for Money, along with a commendable 4-Stars in all other categories. And Hammer Hardware earns 5 Stars for Service and Advice, with a mix of 3- and 4-Star results over the remaining categories. Placemakers earns a respectable 3 Stars across all categories measured.

Home improvement stores: what Kiwis want

What’s the thing Kiwis value most from their home improvement stores? Quality advice and service: 32% of those asked listed it as the number one thing they look for. And it’s no surprise, when nearly 80% believe home improvement store staff are knowledgeable. DIY may mean Do it Yourself, but sometimes that entails looking for guidance and help. And when that advice is needed, it’s important to have staff that can offer help along with great service.

And despite the online shopping boom forcing us to look online, Kiwis want to do their DIY shopping in store. Not one respondent feels that a store’s online portal improves their shopping experience, while 41% have never purchased from a home improvement store online.

From Canstar Blue’s research, it’s clear that if you’re going to be a hit with Kiwis, you need to offer great service. And that’s certainly the case with our Most Satisfied Customers | Home Improvement Stores Award winner, Mitre 10.

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About the author of this page

This report was written by Canstar Content Producer, Andrew Broadley. Andrew is an experienced writer with a wide range of industry experience. Starting out, he cut his teeth working as a writer for print and online magazines, and he has worked in both journalism and editorial roles. His content has covered lifestyle and culture, marketing and, more recently, finance for Canstar.