Pumpkin Patch chief executive Neil Cowie has been lured away to become head of Mitre 10, saying he is looking forward to taking up the role in the highly competitive do-it-yourself sector.
Mitre 10 had been growing its market share, particularly in the trade sector, while it was also one of New Zealand's most respected brands, he said.
The wholly-owned and operated New Zealand co-operative brought a different set of challenges and opportunities than a listed company, like those he had recently worked for.
''The co-operative model is one that works well in this country. I'm excited at being part of a co-operative business, with such a proud heritage and exciting future.''
Mr Cowie said he was looking forward to continuing to push Mitre 10 up to and through $1 billion of revenue.
Mitre 10 chairman, and Dunedin businessman, Martin Dippie said co-operative members would welcome the appointment of an experienced retailer to the group, as he had demonstrated an ability to be agile and adapt to both small and ''big box'' formats.
Mr Cowie had previously worked for The Warehouse in both New Zealand and Australia. In 2004, he joined BigW as a regional manager in New South Wales followed by a term a Michels Patisserie - a franchise group with more than 340 stores across Australia. He joined Pumpkin Patch as chief operating officer in 2008 and was appointed chief executive in 2011.
At a glance
Mitre 10, a New Zealand-owned co-operative, is opening larger-format Mega stores to compete with rival Bunnings, owned by Australia's Wesfarmers. Mitre 10 expects to expand its network of Mega stores to 44 by the end of 2014, from 35 currently, and exceed $1 billion in sales in the 2014 financial year, from $858 million in 2012.
