A new 100sqm flagship retail store has opened in Auckland to cater to a growing trend in fashionable workwear in the trade industries.
According to industry experts, the trend is being driven in part by an increase in the number of women entering trades (data shows a 39 percent increase from a decade ago).
Wesfarmers, owned by NZ Safety Blackwoods, is expanding into fashionable pieces that those within the trade industries can wear to work.
Trade industries are shedding their traditional persona as a new generation of more image-conscious tradies emerge along with increasing numbers of women entering trade industries, and their retail face has evolved to meet this changing demand.
"The old school self-image of the typical New Zealand tradie has changed over recent years and this has manifested in a growing design trend for more stylish workwear which was traditionally seen as purely functional," explained Chris Mason, National Manager - Trade Centres at NZ Safety Blackwoods.
"More commonly now, they are looking for workwear that they can come off the site, take off their work boots and head down to the pub."
Mason stated that their investment in a local omnichannel expansion programme will cover bricks and mortar stores as well as their e-commerce platforms.
