21 Jan The power of friendliness: Six projects and counting with St Pierre’s Sushi
When it comes to approaching any kind of construction project, Alina Nicholls, Design & Delivery Manager at St Pierre’s Sushi, knows the importance of building good relationships. “It is so essential that you work with people you trust on a fit-out. And this is where Datum really shines.”
In just over two years, Datum Projects has collaborated with St Pierre’s Sushi on six fit-out projects. With a focus on quality and friendly communication, it’s a relationship that’s only getting stronger with each new project.
Approachable from day one
Alina is no stranger to the construction world, and what it means to collaborate with professionals across the industry. Her wealth of experience in the field eventually led her to meeting with the Datum team. Immediately, she noticed something special – “Everyone at Datum has so much respect for each and every person they communicate with, across every level of the project.”
It may seem simple, but in Alina’s experience, this approach makes all the difference to the success and the outcomes of fit-outs.
“There is so much going on with these projects,” she explains. “Inevitably, something will go wrong at some point. What’s important is that the people you’re working with will communicate with you about them, and be there to source effective solutions. If you don’t have this transparency, or you don’t have really strong communication, then it all starts falling apart.”
On the other hand, it’s also helpful when your partners know how to avoid over-communication. There’s a balance – where all the important information is passed along and discussed, but the shopfitter knows not to go into every grainy detail that could clog up everyone’s time. Datum, Alina says, strikes this balance perfectly.
When St Pierre’s worked with Datum for the first time for a project in Karaka in the Spring of 2022, they never looked back. The excellent project management they experienced with the Datum team, along with the incredible support, competitive prices, and high quality secured a relationship that has since grown to project developments across Auckland.
The big plus: In-house joinery
On all of the St Pierre’s projects, Datum’s factory has supported the creation of custom joinery for the fit-outs. Not only does this guarantee a high standard for each and every element required, but it also means easy collaboration throughout the development and carpentry process.
“Datum is always open to us coming into the factory and having a look at any time,” explains Alina. “This is a really unique benefit to working with an in-house joinery team. We can see first-hand how everything is looking, and speak directly with the excellent people putting together the elements for our projects.”
Having an in-house team of experts also means having access to Datum’s deep knowledge and experience with cost engineering. Like many brands, St Pierre’s Sushi has found themselves in situations where a certain go-to material has been unavailable when they needed it for a project. Datum quickly stepped in, offered cost-effective alternatives, and organised it all without a hitch.
Quality. The gift that keeps on giving.
“A quality fit-out makes a huge difference to the maintenance, the costs, and the long-term results of a store’s success,” says Alina.
There are the obvious benefits of having quality joinery: fewer repairs needed down the line, longer lifespans, and fewer maintenance costs in the years after the fit-out. But then there are all the other benefits to staff throughout the company: less pressure on facility managers and property managers, fewer disruptions to store trading due to maintenance works, and well-functioning environments for all the talented, highly trained sushi chefs.
“It takes a lot of physical and mental energy to produce excellent sushi. Having a well-designed, quality space not only helps our awesome teams do their job, but also contributes to them having a pleasant place to work every day.”
Like Datum, Alina puts her professional and personal values at the heart of everything she does – and topping the list is treating every person on a team with humanity, empathy, and respect. There are no hierarchies in Alina’s world. Everyone is equal, everyone is human, and everyone has an important role to a shared mission.
One of the reasons this partnership has been so strong is down to the shared ethos of St Pierre’s Sushi, Datum, and the teams that have come together to bring each project to life.
