Silverdale Mowers & Outdoor Power Equipment evolves into STIHL SHOP™

STIHL SHOP™ has opened its doors in Silverdale, taking the total number of stores in New Zealand to 57.

Locally owned and operated, STIHL SHOP™ Silverdale, previously known as Silverdale Mowers & Outdoor Power Equipment, has relocated to Flexman Place. The store has been completely revitalised as part of the company’s aim to develop a retail chain of locally owned stores under its own brand, called STIHL SHOP™.

Owners Peter and Judy Leishman have been dealers of STIHL and other Outdoor Power Equipment products for four-and-a-half years and decided in December 2008 that the business needed a change. “We wanted to move away from the grubby mower look and saw the STIHL SHOP™ concept as a way of moving the business forward,” says Mrs Leishman.

“The advanced systems afforded by the STIHL SHOP™ programme mean both owner and customer benefit. The systems and the way we do things have changed for the better. Store branding and infrastructure, training and a focus on customer service has not only improved our day-to-day operations but are more appealing to the customer.”

A big advantage for STIHL SHOP™ Silverdale is its wide customer base and convenient location. Mrs Leishman says, “We are lucky in Silverdale to be on an urban and rural boundary, so we receive a wide variety of customers, from mowing contractors, industrial workers and arborists to domestic and lifestyle-block owners. Our new location accommodates an increased range of product and we are now more visible to our customers.”

Customers can still expect to see the Leishmans’ 1959 Pontiac out the front of the store. For the last 15 years, the couple has been involved in the Variety Children’s Charity Bash, joining a convoy of quirky vehicles, celebrities and personalities that travel throughout the country raising and distributing funds to Kiwi kids.

“It is great to be part of the local community, not only in the work we do for Variety but as a business with a good name,” says Mr Leishman. “We enjoy serving our community and the customers that come into the store. We even have one woman who will only let her husband visit once a month because he loves the place so much.”

Phil Weedon, STIHL SHOP™ Group Manager, says, “All our owners are experienced businesspeople, many of whom have worked in other industries. The attraction to STIHL SHOP™ has been the facility for Kiwi businesspeople to live in their hometown while benefiting from a strong international brand and systemised approach as their business foundation.

“New Zealand has a lot of great businesspeople who live here because they want a particular lifestyle, whether urban or more rural, but often they have to compromise on where they live if they want to run a successful business. STIHL SHOP™ is a great example of what a thriving Kiwi business can look like, and it’s an example of how a global brand like STIHL can be given a true local feel, if you adjust it to suit your market.”