Foodstuffs opens NW in Redcliffs

Foodstuffs South Island’s earthquake rebuild programme has been completed, with $108 million invested in replacing supermarkets since the quakes.

New World Redcliffs, servicing ‘‘the bay area’’, is the latest in a series of four rebuilds that include New Worlds in St Martins and Kaiapoi and a Wainoni Pak’n Save.

Foodstuffs SI has invested about $20m in Redcliffs, $25m in St Martins, $23m in Kaiapoi and $40m in Wainoni.

The co-operative also recently opened new stores at Wigram and Pak’n Save Rangiora (opened in September) and has also built a New World in Ilam, opened in November 2011.

Redcliffs opens on Wednesday with a catchment including Sumner, Taylors Mistake and stretching back in towards the city, where it will face competition from a Countdown in Ferrymead.

Redcliffs owner-operator Julia Spence said there were more than 100 jobs being created at the New World.

The original New World store closed its doors 41⁄ years ago following the February 2011 earthquakes due to irreparable damage. The new property over three storeys, including a ground level carpark, would have an increased 1700 square metre floor area.

Spence said she would take a hands on approach to the operation, having already had owner-operator experience at the Four Square Akaroa, which she ran between 2009 and 2015.

That store had been both disrupted then benefited by the earthquakes that saw Christchurch residents move into the area and cruise ship passengers turn into customers when the ships were diverted to Akaroa. Before that Spence had worked in food distribution roles. She grew up in Christchurch and went to school at Rangi Ruru followed by a marketing degree.

She started working as a business development manager for Punakaiki Resort on the West Coast before switching to the food industry including merchandising for manufacturer Goodman Fielder.

Foodstuffs SI property and retail development general manager Roger Davidson said while the co-operative was completing the final post- earthquake rebuild there was more to come. The seven rebuild and new-build supermarkets provided 1135 jobs, he said.

Another New World in Ferry Road was set to open in mid-2016. Also at the Prestons subdivision on the northeast of Christchurch initial work was about to begin, with a target opening date for a New World in the first quarter of 2017.

There were also extension projects under way at a Halswell supermarket and a $10m project for Lincoln New World, which would extend that 2009 store’s footprint by 60 per cent.