A major new piece of infrastructure supporting supermarkets, wholesale customers, suppliers and communities across New Zealand’s Upper North Island is taking shape, with construction progressing on Foodstuffs North Island’s new chilled and frozen distribution centre in Māngere, Auckland.

The facility is being developed by Auckland Airport, the landowner and developer of the site, and will be leased by Foodstuffs once complete.

Foodstuffs North Island Chief Executive Chris Quin says the investment is about making sure the co-operative’s local family-owned stores and other customers have the infrastructure needed to support New Zealand’s future.

“This investment gives us the infrastructure we need for the next 25 to 35 years, helping us support our locally owned New World, PAK’nSAVE, Four Square and Gilmours stores, other retailers, suppliers and the communities they serve,” he said.

“Communities across the Upper North Island are growing, and demand for chilled and frozen products is growing with it. This facility will give us the room to grow while making it easier for more suppliers, including small and emerging New Zealand suppliers, to connect into our network.”

Improved capacity

The project is one of the largest supply chain investments Foodstuffs North Island has made and will more than double the co-operative’s chilled and frozen capacity.

Foodstuffs North Island Senior Development Manager David Boersen says the new facility will improve the way products move through the network.

“Behind every product on a supermarket shelf is a supply chain. The better that supply chain works, the easier it is for suppliers to work with us and the more reliable our service is for stores and customers,” he said.

“This new distribution centre will improve product availability, reduce unnecessary handling, improve freight efficiency and help get products to stores more reliably.”

The new distribution centre will include:

• 24,821 sqm of warehouse space
• Capacity for 27,656 pallets with racking up to 12 metres high
• 27 modern loading docks and onsite parking for up to 30 trucks
• Dedicated chilled (+2°C) and frozen (-24°C) storage areas
• A 1.96MW rooftop solar array and backup generation system.

Safety, efficiency and sustainability

The building has been designed with safety, efficiency and sustainability front of mind. Features include:

• A “box within a box” design, with an insulated chilled and frozen warehouse inside the main building structure
• Around 2.5 hectares of rooftop solar panels generating approximately 2MW of electricity
• Infrastructure designed to support future technology, including electric trucks and automated material handling equipment
• A design target of achieving a 5 Star Green Star rating.

Construction is progressing to programme, with the building expected to be handed over by Auckland International Airport in the final quarter of 2027. Cooling, testing and commissioning will follow, with the facility expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2028.