Supermarket uses hi-tech for safety
The ribbon was cut on ‘‘one of the safest’’ buildings in Christchurch yesterday – the new Edgeware SuperValue.
The former supermarket was demolished after the February 2011 earthquake and the new store has been rebuilt on the same site.
Speaking at the opening, owner-operator Stephen Anderson said it was an ‘‘auspicious day’’.
It had been a ‘‘very long rebuild process’’ and it was ‘‘one of the most-watched construction sites in Christchurch’’.
The new store featured ‘‘groundbreaking’’ technology, including energyefficient refrigeration and a shelving system designed not to fall over in a quake.
‘‘It is one of the safest buildings in Christchurch,’’ Anderson said.
The opening was attended by many community leaders, including Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee, Mayor Bob Parker and Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority chief Roger Sutton.
Brownlee said it was a ‘‘wonderful feeling’’ to see the new store open. ‘‘It’s pretty great to see how it has risen out of a pretty awful state that it was in after February 22.’’
It was a great step in the recovery of Canterbury as ‘‘communities are built around amenities like supermarkets’’, he said. ‘‘If the city is going to recover it’s going to be the community of Christchurch that do it.’’
Parker said: ‘‘We all know how much this means for the community. This isn’t just another supermarket or another shop; it’s a part of the community here.’’
The store will employ more than 40 people.