Why Smiths City kept its name

Smiths City boss Tony Allison says it wants to be known as a 100% NZ owned retailer. (Image: Supplied)

Fri, 06 Aug 2021

For years it was known as a South Island retail stalwart. Its foray into Auckland with stores at Wairau Park and Mount Wellington failed to ignite loyalty in New Zealand’s biggest city, and now it’s focusing on online-only in Auckland.But Smiths City, now under the ownership of Big Chill founder Colin Neal’s Polar Capital, is holding onto some parts of the business which chief executive Tony Allison said do work for it – and that included the name.The retail boss said when Polar took over last year it considered a r...

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