The abrupt closure of Build It Plus Wellington four weeks ago has left the local community reeling with many questions.
The business has been an integral part of the Wellington community for the past 34 years and it has always been the go-to place for anything hardware related.
Paarl Post reported years ago that the Ahmed family has been in the hardware trade since 1964, beginning with the late Adam Ahmed and his wife, the late Hawa Ahmed. Hardware is the family’s passion and runs in their veins. It was not a surprise when the four Ahmed sons followed in their father’s footsteps, each establishing their own stores as the years progressed and the time had come to fly the nest.
When Liaquet and Faryal Ahmed saw the opportunity to open a hardware store in Wellington, they grabbed it with both hands. They officially opened Wellington Paint and Hardware on 19 September 1991.
Over the years the store has undergone many changes. The biggest change was when Liaquet and Faryal decided to demolish the building and rebuild it to what it is today. Construction commenced in 2006 and was completed the following year. The new store was a dream come true for the Ahmeds. It was only in 2010 that the Ahmeds decided to grow their business even further by becoming part of the “Build It” family.
As an integral part of Wellington for more than three decades it is understandable that many residents were left confused when they visited the shop on 22 October just to find it closed.
Disputes addressed in court
A notice was then put up on the store’s WhatsApp status that they would be open for business from 27 October, but that hasn’t realised either. Now the store’s information on Google is also indicating that it is temporarily closed.
Paarl Post reached out to Faryal Ahmed this week to ask about the sudden closure of their store. She instead referred the reporter in a friendly manner to their attorney.
The attorney, who does not want to be named, said the following in his response to Paarl Post’s enquiry:
“For legal reasons I can’t disclose everything, but it is a temporary closure and it’s an internal issue regarding the owners of the business as well as the group that they operate under, which is Build It.
“There are certain disputes that are in the process of being adjudicated in court and as a result of that, like I said it’s a temporary closure, and as soon as we finalise negotiations with whoever the role players are and to the extent possible, my clients will endeavor to ensure that they restore the status quo with regards to customers and employees as soon as possible.”
