Supermarket site goes into shopping trolley
The land and building housing a longstanding provincial retail operation branded under New Zealand’s biggest supermarket chain have been placed on the market.
The property in the centre of prosperous Waikato town Matamata contains the town’s Countdown supermarket.
Sitting on some 2352sq m of flat, square-shaped land zoned commercial 8A under the Matamata Piako District Council plan, Countdown Matamata operates from a 1050sq m building which has a new building standards rating of 96 per cent.
Countdown Matamata has been on the site since 1995 and is firmly established among the town’s biggest and busiest retail outlets.
General Distributions Ltd – trading as Countdown Matamata – is on a current lease at the 82 Arawa St site running through to 2022 with two further three-year rights of renewal, generating annual rental revenue of $189,000 plus GST and operating expenses.
The prime freehold land and building is being marketed for sale at auction on November 11 through Bayleys Hamilton.
Salesperson Josh Smith said the property benefitted from being a close walk from the town’s central business district and having onsite parking for 32 vehicles, with additional street parking on Gouk St consisting of 19 marked public parking spots.
“Constructed of concrete block with long run iron roofing, the building features a standard design and layout for a supermarket,” said Smith.
“The produce, butchery, and deli sections all include separate preparation and storage areas operated under appropriate health and food safety regulations.
“The northwestern corner of the building has a second level accessed via an internal stairwell, and contains staff facilities including lunchroom, separate male/female toilets, and locker storage for personal belongings.”
Smith said the store’s internal temperature was maintained by multiple air-conditioning units fixed on the roof, along with heaters on the store’s ceiling. Both services were operated and maintained by the tenant.
Smith said Government imposed Covid19 community movement restrictions had highlighted the value of supermarkets in New Zealand society – particularly locations servicing rural populations such as Matamata.