Tim (Warkworth Grange)

Welcome to our latest St. Pierre’s partner feature! Today we’re in Warkworth, to the north of Auckland, visiting Tim.

Originally from Fujian, south China, Tim worked in hospitality in Tokyo for three years, gaining a love for Japanese food. When he moved to NZ in 2008, making sushi was a natural option, and he began his career with us at Auckland Airport shop in 2008.

After working at manager training ground Glen Innes with the likes of Lei Shi and Yohanes, now prominent partners in their own right, Tim became partner of the new Warkworth shop in 2016.

Even though it’s close to the city of Auckland, Warkworth has a relaxed, small-town feel which Tim loves. 

All our staff are locals, and when you treat people well, good things come back to you. It’s the kind of place where people appreciate the little things, like staff dinner to celebrate a successful bonus cycle or a New Year’s party. I really enjoy working with the people here.

Local engagement is a high priority for Tim, who explains that

Warkworth is a place where people notice the efforts you make to reach out. We’ve donated platters to the local tennis and golf clubs for their event days, or bought prizes for school event nights. The locals often thank us for the sponsorships when they come into the shop. It really is a community where good news gets around.

Tim is open about the benefits of the partnership opportunity, and was happy to embrace the challenge.

I made the move north for my family and lifestyle. Partnership is a low-risk investment. For a small amount of money you can build on St. Pierre’s high brand power. While it has been a lot of work, partnership has definitely delivered on its promise for me.

Tim has become a real leader on the company, one of our best-known shop partners. He is always available to offer frank advice to aspiring partners – and everyone else! – about how to improve their business and career path. He gave an honest and inspiring speech to the Partnership Academy launch meeting and spoke at our 2024 Manager’s Conference. Check out the videos and get inspired!

Finally, Tim is in the unique position of running no one, but two partnership shops! A large part of Warkworth’s business was in through traffic, but a new highway bypass opened last year. So in December, we opened a new shop in nearby Wellsford to catch that passing trade. Tim and his wife Eva were the logical people to run it!

If you haven’t already, check out our article about Wellsford, featuring a powerful haka from the local Kura Kaupapa Māori kids!