David Smit started out in the flooring industry immediately after leaving school. With twenty years’ experience ‘on the tools’ working for others and then running his own installation business, David and his wife Angela looked to the next step; launching their own shop. For this important step, they chose Andersens.

David and Angela had been researching flooring franchises for some time and had decided to join Andersens. Angela said, “We were very impressed with Andersens; our values lined up perfectly with theirs. It might sound cliché, but they are very much like a family. We can pick up the phone and call absolutely anyone on the board, the CFO, even Rowan Hodge, the CEO, and they are always happy to help.”

And so, in September 2020 Angela and David purchased Crestia Carpets, an existing independent flooring outlet in Wagga Wagga, NSW known locally as ‘Wagga”. David recalls, “When we first converted to Andersens the Crestia store was run down but we were well-funded by Andersens with signage, rebranding and even revamping the store. Andersens have always provided as much help as we need, whenever we need it. We never feel like we are on our own.”

National Expansion

Andersens is expanding and locations for new stores are available nationally. The Wagga store is one of the southernmost outlets at the moment, along with Adelaide and the ACT. Wagga is a major regional city in the Riverina region of New South Wales and the state’s second largest inland city after Maitland. Located midway between Sydney and Melbourne; Wagga Wagga was once a contender for the site of Australia’s capital. The city is home to training camps for all three of the armed services, including the well-known army training ‘Kapooka,’ constructed in 1942.

David says, “We have a somewhat transient population in Wagga, with the military training camps, a major university and two training hospitals. We are always busy; in fact, over my 20-odd year career so far in the industry, I cannot think of a single day without a job. We mostly do domestic work but find we are getting more commercial jobs as we develop. These include a veterinary hospital, a sawmill, shops, and schools.” Wagga has more competition than most cities, but the Andersens name is a terrific bonus for us.”

“Hello Possums”

Wagga Wagga was put on the international map by comedian Barry Humphries. The wife of Sir Les Patterson, Dame Edna Everage ‘reportedly’ came from there. Other notable (real-life) Australians from Wagga are Wayne Carey; Geoff Lawson; Mark Taylor; Tony Roche; and Yellow Wiggle Sam Moran. The bushranger Mad Dog Morgan bailed up the police magistrate in 1863 and for dinner conversation you could mention the Chiko Roll, which debuted at the Wagga Agriculture Show in 1951.

An Award-Winning Team

At the Andersens National Conference in September the franchise took out the Jack Andersen Award – Franchisee of the Year, Best Store for NSW/ACT/SA, and Best Store for Local Area Marketing. Angela says, “We admire so many of the other Andersens outlets; this was totally unexpected.” Andersens value their franchisees; they don’t just look at turnover, every part of the franchise is valued. David adds, “We couldn’t have achieved this in such a short time without the support of our amazing team.”

Crestia by Andersens, as it is often called, is a proud, locally owned and operated family business. Angela says, “We love meeting and helping people. We pride ourselves on client satisfaction, excellence in the industry and being a provider of a great work environment. David and I are ingrained with country values; you do what you say and treat every customer as you would your mother.” David adds, “Our flooring experience spans more than 6 decades. We believe our excellent customer service is the difference that puts us well and truly above our competitors, building on the trusted name that is Andersens.

Flooring Magazine – Dec/Jan 24