Countdown Botany completes Woolworths rebrand as chain ends 14-year era

The final Countdown supermarket to be officially rebranded to Woolworths is the company's Botany store.

New Zealand’s final Countdown supermarket has officially rebranded to Woolworths, marking the end of a 14-year era as the company completes its transformation programme.

Countdown Botany was the final location to get new signage, after the company launched its $400 million transformation campaign in 2023.

The campaign, launched by former Woolworths Group chief executive Brad Banducci, intended to transform the supermarket’s loyalty programme (which has now become Everyday Rewards) and change the signage for the entire network of 185 Countdown stores across the country.

Woolworths New Zealand director of retail Jason Stockhill said the transformation represented a new era of Woolworths in New Zealand.

“We’re excited about what this means for Kiwi customers. We’re still championing local communities, customers and fresh produce – just like we did at the beginning in 1929. That won’t change,” Stockhill said.

“It’s a new phase that brings many new benefits for Kiwi customers, including our commitment to quality, fresh and locally grown produce (wherever possible), our investment in technology and team safety, sustainability and in giving back to our local communities.”

The final rebrand marks three years of expansive capital expenditure by the business.

The business opened its state-of-the-art Christchurch Fresh Distribution Centre in February 2024, built the previously mentioned Everyday Rewards loyalty programme and has rolled out its delivery app Milkrun across the country.

Woolworths also announced today that it is planning to build a new supermarket in the growing town of Lincoln, just outside Christchurch.

The business committed $60m towards capital expenditure in its 2025 full-year financial result.

Pressure year

This year has been particularly challenging for the supermarket giant. It has lost ground to competitor Foodstuffs in its financial result, posting a net loss of $32.4m.

In the year ending June 30, Woolworths New Zealand made sales of $8.29 billion, up from $8.17b in the same period a year earlier.

The business also came under fire for a proposed operating model change that was criticised by a union because it could lead to pay cuts that would cost experienced workers thousands of dollars.

Woolworths New Zealand said the changes would ensure the business had the right expertise, in the right place, at the right time to improve customers’ experience.

The business has been piloting the new operating model in its upper North Island stores from late May.

Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.

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