General News
7 November, 2025
Recognised for going the extra mile
With over four decades of stories to tell from his time operating his local Mitre 10 empire, there’s not many things that can surprise David Jones these days, however he was thoroughly delighted when he got the news that his business had won a coveted industry award.
Each year, excellence awards are dished out to the standout stores among Mitre 10’s network of 400-plus stores around Australia, and David O Jones Mitre 10 in Stawell picked up the Victoria/Tasmania Garden Centre of the Year award for 2025.
Mr Jones was quick to give all the credit to the staff who focus on creating a helpful and welcoming environment in his store’s garden department.
“It’s an honour, and the ladies here have done such a great job,” he said, “We’d won the regional award before but this is a whole different level.”
Mr Jones said a key to his store’s strong garden offering is the countless hours his wife Margaret dedicates to learning everything there is to know about the plants they sell.
“Margaret spends a lot of time studying at night, sometimes past one o’clock in the morning, reading about plants,” he said.
The study, along with thoughtful merchandising and caring about the overall shopping experience, are all thing Margaret is simply happy to do for her customers, and she hadn’t anticipated such a huge honour coming her way.
“It was a wonderful surprise, certainly,” Margaret said, “It’s very exciting.”
Read More: Stawell