Paihia's old fire station is to be converted into a temporary Countdown store when the town's only supermarket closes next month.
Countdown and its predecessor Woolworths have occupied a Puketona Rd building for the past 13 years, but the company will leave when the current lease expires at the end of July.
The firm has now found a temporary premises in the form of Paihia's old fire station on Williams Rd. Owned by council-controlled company Far North Holdings, the station has been up for lease since the brigade moved out last year.
Meanwhile, speculation continues over the fate of the Countdown building. New World's parent company, Foodstuffs, denies it is moving in - but it is still possible a franchise operator is planning to set up under the New World or Pak 'n Save banner.
Countdown's Bay of Islands area manager Joanne McNaught said work had started on converting the former fire station into a small-format shop. It was not a perfect solution but would allow Countdown to keep up a presence in the Paihia/Waitangi area.