Woolworths New Zealand Managing Director Spencer Sonn has welcomed the passing of the Grocery Industry Competition Bill.
“The Bill gives us a clear direction aimed at providing great value for New Zealand shoppers,” Mr Sonn said.
“We don’t take it for granted that three million New Zealanders each week choose to do their grocery shop with us, and we’re committed to continuing to improve things for them.
“We’re proud to have played a constructive role throughout the market study process and we’re already well underway with implementing the Commerce Commission’s recommendations. The passing of the Bill today gives us certainty about the path forward, and we’re looking forward to being a part of the future of New Zealand’s dynamic grocery sector.
“Having supported a mandatory Grocery Supply Code, we now look forward to the appointment of a Grocery Commissioner and to working constructively with them to ensure all grocery retailers are held to the same standards,” Mr Sonn said.
Actions taken by Woolworths New Zealand since the Commerce Commission’s final report into the grocery sector include:
- “We have 13 agreements already signed with wholesale customers and discussions are ongoing with others.
- “We already calculate and display unit pricing and have consistently supported making this mandatory both throughout and before the market study process. We are further working to make pricing more clear across our stores – including with the rollout of electronic shelf labels, now live in over 30 of our stores with a full rollout planned by the end of our 2025 financial year.
- “We have refreshed our Privacy Policy and Onecard loyalty programme Terms and Conditions making it easier for customers to understand how their personal data may be used.
- “We’re proud to have been ranked as the best supermarket retailer to do business with by our suppliers for the past three years, and we have consistently supported a mandatory Grocery Code of Conduct, throughout and before the market study process.”