Independent Timber Merchants or the Independent Timber Merchants Society (usually shortened as ITM) is a New Zealand co-operative of independent building supplies and hardware retailers. Its stores sell a range of products to both tradespeople and consumers, including
building supplies,
power tools,
kitchens and
paint.[1]
The co-operative is the largest group of independent trade merchants in New Zealand.[2] It is the second largest supplier of timber to the New Zealand building industry after
Fletcher Building subsidiary
PlaceMakers.[3] There are 95 ITM member stores around New Zealand, including 16 in
Auckland.[1]
History
1990s
The Independent Timber Merchants Society was formed in 1991,[4][1] with six founding stores in the
Northland Region.[5]
The society was registered as a company in 1993.[6]
In 1999, there were 89 ITM stores around the country.[7]
Picton ITM experienced a downturn in demand for building supplies following the
2011 Christchurch earthquake. It responded in 2013 by expanding into the production of steel framing for clients in Canterbury and around the country, including schools.[9]
The timber yard at the
Kopu store near
Thames was gutted by fire in November 2019.[10] No one was injured in the fire.[11]
2020s
In mid-2020 a cat who had been living in the
Marton store for ten years disappeared for several months.[12] The
SPCA investigated reports the store manager had abandoned the cat in the countryside after it became a nuisance.[13] The cat was relocated to
New Plymouth before disappearing again.[14]
In February 2021, a new ITM franchisee opened in Dunedin.[5]
In March 2021,
Carter Holt Harvey stopped selling structural timber to ITM due to a global timber shortage,[15] leaving member stores short of stock.[16] Some builders were affected,[17] while some were able to source their timber from other sources instead.[18] ITM criticised Carter Holt Harvey's decision to continue supplying timber to its rival PlaceMakers.[3] By May, builders were waiting six months for building supplies; the owner of the Hawke's Bay and Gisborne ITM stores blamed the closure of
sawmills coinciding with a rapid growth in the construction sector.[19]
In September 2021, one person was injured when a Stratford ITM truck rolled outside
Stratford.[20]
In March 2022,
Fletcher Building sought clearance from the
Commerce Commission to purchase Tumu Merchants Limited, including a timber plant in
Hastings and ITM stores in
Gisborne,
Napier,
Hastings,
Havelock North,
Dannevirke and
Masterton. At the time, Fletcher already owned a timber plant in
Taupō and ITM rival
PlaceMakers.[21] In July, the Commission cleared the purchase after the stores left the ITM group.[22] In its determination, the Commission stated there would still be local competition and ITM would still have a significant network of stores in New Zealand.[23]
The Independent Timber Merchants Society sponsors a regional apprenticeship competition in 20 locations around the country.[29] The first round of the competition was held in 2022.[30]