Hospitality | Total Food Equipment
The people to see when you want to
cook up a storm Total Food Equipment owner Sandra Mclay is looking forward to the reopening of her Moorhouse Avenue home. The company specialises in quality kitchenware for both the retail and commercial market and since its beginnings has become a very popular shopping destination for those home chefs. The earthquake disruption and closure of its Moorhouse Ave premises meant a four and a half month trading break before finding an interim trading premise in Coleridge Street.
Mclay says they were able to sign a short term lease as they were committed to returning to Moorhouse Ave with its high street traffic presence. “We did not want to be locked into a long term lease as our commitment was to return to Moorhouse Avenue. “Our landlord has helped immensely through this period and our store designer from Napier came down to assist with the shop outfit.” Mclay says the biggest challenge during the Coleridge St was to shift the focus of the business to being destination shopping, not having the street front visibility of Moorhouse Ave. “As well as supplying to the hospitality industry we had a strong trade from high end home chefs who required the same product quality and professional advice available to the culinary trade.” While the foot traffic slowed, the demand from the industry has re-grown steadily during the last 18 months, with more and more places reopening and new ventures starting out.
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“What hasn’t changed during our relocation period was our commitment to customers’ service and product knowledge. In addition to supplying stock items we were sourcing individual requests.” Total Food Equipment began in Napier in 1989, opening its Dunedin branch in 2004, which is when Sandra Mclay joined the team. Her brother-in-law who began the firm 21 years ago convinced Mclay to leave her
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We have access to a well respected international hospitality designer with experience in front of house design. - Owner, Sandra Mclay
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nursing career to help build TFC Dunedin, and in 2009 she leapt at the chance to move north.
including Sirman from Italy and Vollrath from the United States, for which TFE is exclusive agents.
“I always loved coming to Christchurch. When we were living in Dunedin we would come up here often for holidays or just a break away.”
“As a member of the TBK Network buying group we have strong buying power which results in us being competitively priced,” Mclay says.
Opening in Moorhouse Avenue in 2009, the following year TFE Christchurch was awarded a Top Shop award.
“We have access to a well respected international hospitality designer with experience in front of house design.”
Total Food Equipment is able to offer Christchurch customers competitive pricing when it comes to quality culinary requirements from leading designers,
As well as being a distributor for Electrolux commercial products Total Food Equipment stocks leading international brands like Moffat and Skope.
Total Food Equipment is a store selling Homeware, Bakeware, Glassware, Kitchenware, Knives, coffee and more with Store locations around New Zealand.
» NAPIER » CHRISTCHURCH » DUNEDIN 110 | November/December 2012 www.canterburytoday.co.nz
46 Coleridge Street, | E. sandra@tfe.co.nz P. (03) 3666 912 | F. (03) 3666 913 www.tfe.co.nz