More shops on the way for Pyes Pa

Julie and Tony Bruce in front of the new SuperValue Pyes Pa. Photo/Ruth Keber

A new supermarket has opened in Pyes Pa as developments across southwest Tauranga boom.

SuperValue Pyes Pa opened its doors today in Redline Holdings' $11 million development on Pyes Pa Rd.

Behind the development, Liz van Welie's swim school is still on track to open mid-February 2017 and about 3km away more shops are due to open in the middle of The Lakes next month.

These developments follow Tauranga Crossing's opening this month.

SuperValue Pyes Pa owner-operator Tony Bruce told the Bay of Plenty Times it had been a long time coming, but the store was finally opened.

Mr Bruce said the store had more than 400 customers on its first day.

"It's great to be a service and for people to come in and enjoy that service."

Mr Bruce said the area was the perfect space for a supermarket with no others similar in the immediate area.

"If locals want bread or milk - you have to go down to Greerton or somewhere else."

Mr Bruce said they always knew that Pak'nSave was to open at Tauranga Crossing about 3km away.

"We feel this is more a local convenience store. It's not a completely different market but the thing for us is customer service.

"If it is raining outside, we will have an umbrella to take people to the car."

The Liz van Welie Aquatic Centre was due to open mid-February.

"Everything is ticking away perfectly," owner/swim instructor Liz Cummings said.

The swimming complex would feature two pools - a six-lane 25m pool and a 12m x 6m learners' pool.

Mrs Cummings said the new pools were not a public facility like the Bay Wave but rather a training facility.

The Lakes managing director Scott Adams said there were nine tenancies available in the residential area for commercial trade.

The shops in the Boulder Lane Shopping Village would begin to open next month and include a Four Square, four restaurants - including Japanese, Turkish, South American and Indian - a physio, and The Lakes sales office.

Mr Adams said he was not worried about the SuperValue which had opened just up the road.

"We have known it has been coming for a few years. SuperValue will service Pyes Pa and Four Square will service The Lakes."

Mr Adams said residents in the area had been appealing for shops for a while.

"It's great to see our local village coming to life."

Antoinette Laird, head of external relations for Foodstuffs, which owns Pak'nSave, said in a statement the company welcomed competition and had not opposed SuperValue's resource consent.

"Pak'nSave will continue to provide a great range of high-quality, fresh products to the Tauriko community."