Making the Right Choice
When Choice Catering Equipment Ltd opened its doors in 1989, managing director Steve Preston had absolute blind faith that his business would succeed.
“It never occurred to us at all that Choice Catering Equipment wouldn’t work and yet statistically we really had no show at all. Most businesses collapse in the first 12 months but we just focused on exactly what we were going to do and it paid off.”
Now the Auckland based company, enjoys a high market profile and impressive annual sales. The company is one of the leading suppliers of catering equipment, kitchenware and ancillary items to the New Zealand hospitality industry. It also imports and distributes to other re-sellers nationally and sells to end-user clients such as restaurants, hotels, fast food operators and supermarket chains.
Owning its own premises of over 20,000 sq ft, Choice Catering Equipment Ltd has large warehouses and a well stocked display showroom to maximise its selling exposure.
Over the years the company has continued to introduce to the market the latest and most innovative products. Many of the products in the range include uniforms, trolleys, kitchenware, crockery, specialised equipment, innovative colour coded food safety products and top of the range bench line equipment sourced from its subsidiary company, Roband NZ Ltd.
Choice Catering Equipment Ltd is IS0 Certified Supplier, being the first company of its type in the New Zealand market to gain ISO accreditation.
With a “lean & mean” philosophy the operation runs on well trained and experienced staff who work to the company edict of providing fast, efficient, personal service with integrity. This has enormous advantages for existing and new customers who recognise that Choice Catering Equipment is committed to the total support of its customers.
With a sales force spread throughout the Country from Whangarei in the North to Invercargill in the South, the Choice Team have a truly National flavour.
Looking forward, Steve Preston says; “Whilst I have some fairly ambitious plans about our growth, we need to ensure that we don’t lose focus of our key objective and that is to offer customer satisfaction, good service and at the same time deal with integrity. If you can hang on to being a business person with integrity, and look after your staff and customers then you have probably got the basis for good solid growth anyway. We have seen competitors come and go over the years but we are here for the long haul.”
CATEQ is the registered trademark of Choice Catering Equipment Ltd.