Foodstuffs South Island, the New Zealand owned co-operative behind PAK’nSAVE, New World and Four Square stores across the South Island, has announced the opening of PAK’nSAVE Papanui.
The highly anticipated store opening marks a significant milestone for the co-op as the first PAK’nSAVE store that’s opened in Canterbury since the opening of PAK’nSAVE Rangiora in September 2015.
Spanning a site of 6,260sqm, PAK’nSAVE Papanui is conveniently located on the corner of Northcote Road and Main North Road in town. The new store showcases Foodstuffs’ commitment to providing accessible and affordable groceries to communities right across New Zealand.
PAK’nSAVE Papanui owner operators Bryan Walker and Lucy Boock are delighted to be continuing to serve their local community in a brand-new store after making the move across from their former store, PAK’nSAVE Northlands.
The new store will provide 100 additional roles, on top of the 210 positions that have been filled by team members who’ve been brought over from their former store, PAK’nSAVE Northlands.
Foodstuffs South Island Chief Executive Mary Devine says the co-op has made a $40 million investment to bring this state-of-the-art supermarket to the community, while offering customers a spacious and contemporary shopping experience.
“PAK’nSAVE Papanui offers a great shopping experience, and it also shows our commitment to sustainability and the growing community of Papanui,” Ms Devine said.
“The store’s design incorporates the latest sustainability innovations and features ample space for customers and efficient behind-the-scenes operations, all designed to keep costs down. There’s lots of natural light coming into the store, enhancing the fresh food offerings in produce, seafood, and butchery. There’s also 22 self-service checkouts, and 90 SHOP’nGO scanners to save customers time and money as they can scan and pack their groceries as they shop.”
The new store’s design and sustainability innovations include:
- Solar panels
- EV charging
- Natural light coming into the store
- Ample cycle parking
- A dedicated Click & Collect space
- Adjacent public transport services.
The store is also equipped to continuously trade for three days in the event of an emergency or natural disaster and includes water storage and a generator on site to ensure customers can continue to get the food and essentials they need.
Owner operators Bryan Walker and Lucy Boock have a big focus on sustainability in store and in their community. In the lead up to the closure of their former PAK’nSAVE Northlands store, they got in touch with their food rescue partner, Kairos Food Rescue, to provide them with the opportunity to repurpose anything they need from the store before it’s stripped, such as the reach truck, shelving, lockers and safety tools. Following PAK’nSAVE Northland’s last day of trade, surplus produce will be redistributed to local food rescue organisation, Satisfy Food Rescue, to help support people in the community in need. Even the uniforms from their previous store will be worn by team members at the new store.
“Everything from PAK’nSAVE Northlands will be repurposed and redistributed, and we’re really happy to be able to realise our vision and have those strong relationships we’ve built with our community partners which have enabled us to do this,” says Ms Boock.
Mr Walker and Ms Boock bring a wealth of experience to the brand-new PAK’nSAVE Papanui. Ms Boock is a third-generation grocer and began her journey with the co-op while still at school, packing groceries at her parents’ store, New World Gardens, in Dunedin. Mr Walker has been in the industry for 26 years, leaving school at the age of 16 to work at New World Mosgiel as a grocery assistant, and working his way up in various roles across stores. They met while working at PAK’nSAVE Northlands, and with the guidance and support of the co-op, colleagues and family, took the reins of the store as owner operators in 2016.
PAK’nSAVE Papanui will support local and South Island suppliers by stocking quality local produce to deliver the best prices for its customers. Examples include the store having relationships with local potato and onion growers in Canterbury, carrot growers in Canterbury and Invercargill, parsnip growers in Southland, and apple and pear growers from Nelson. By sourcing locally, the store actively contributes to the community while keeping costs down for customers.
Mr Walker said: “We’re excited and proud to continue bringing PAK’nSAVE’s low prices to Papanui. Having been a part of the local community for almost a decade, we really appreciate all the support we’ve received from everyone along the way and look forward to welcoming locals and visitors into store.”
