Foodstuffs North Island, the 100% New Zealand owned and operated co-operative, is preparing to open its new replacement supermarket for New World Havelock North, promising a modern and ‘greener’ shopping experience for the growing Hawke’s Bay town.
The new store on Havelock Road in the centre of the town is set to open on Tuesday, 23 July. It will replace the current store on Porter Drive while still being locally owned and operated by Richard & Andrea Lucas.
Once completed, Foodstuffs North Island are targeting the store to become its first 4 Green Star-rated building, with design elements such as sustainable construction materials and energy conservation metering.
With around 33% more floor space than the store it will be replacing, the new build will have the capacity to offer local shoppers a much wider range, with an additional 5,000 products on shelf.
Owner Operator of New World Havelock North, Richard Lucas says the new store will be a “game changer” for the 15,000 people of rapidly growing Havelock North.
“It’s very exciting to think we’ll be open in just a few weeks, providing locals with modern facilities, an expanded range including over 2,000 locally sourced products and a new level of value and convenience,” says Lucas.
“The new store will be a full service, full-experience New World, including a speciality marketplace-like offering, chef-made easy meal options, as-well-as value options, catering for everyone and all occasions.”
“We’ll have dedicated front-of-house customer service teams in our delicatessen, bakery and butchery. Over 25 new staff will be joining our team, including two highly skilled baristas and two full-time chefs, six additional butchers and bakers, two of whom are dedicated patisserie chefs.”
“Natural lighting, spacious layout and hanging plants will all make for a relaxing environment too, somewhere locals can meet up and connect with each other when they get their shopping.”
“We already have an outstanding team, and our newly created roles will not only add value to the store but also show our commitment to providing meaningful careers in the local community.”
General Manager of Membership & Property for Foodstuffs North Island, Lindsay Rowles, says the new store is a step forward in supermarket design.
“From the outset, we’ve focused on living up to Foodstuffs’ commitment to be leaders in sustainability, incorporating building materials with a lower carbon footprint and greater end-of-life considerations, more waste minimisation features and a readiness for switching to solar, when feasible,” says Rowles.
“The new supermarket also underscores our commitment as a 100% NZ-owned co-op to keep investing in every region and providing a world-class grocery offering for all.”
Foodstuffs North Island is a co-op of 320 local grocers who individually own and operate all the New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square stores in the North Island. Combined, the co-op employs over 24,000 people.
New World Havelock North will be Foodstuffs North Island’s first new store to open in 2024, with the co-op investing around $100 million in property upgrades every year, and another two New Worlds in the pipeline with Auckland’s Mount Albert due to reopen in October and Pāpāmoa’s ‘The Sands’ in November.
New World Havelock North by the numbers:
- 25+ new roles created
- New 3,000sqm store
- 143 carparks (current store has 82 car parks)
- Foodstuffs North Island targeting first 4 Green Star rated store
