The Hawera store was the 50th store in the country to change from Countdown to Woolworths, with its new look officially unveiled on Thursday, April 18.
The Hawera store was the 50th store in the country to change from Countdown to Woolworths, with its new look officially unveiled on Thursday, April 18.
Australian supermarket operator Woolworths is yet to reach the halfway mark with a New Zealand-wide rebranding exercise but has revealed where new outlets are planned or being rebuilt.
The supermarket giant is aiming to wipe the Countdown name from our national consciousness in a $400 million exercise whichincludes a new customer loyalty programme as well as rebranding and upgrading so many outlets.
“We’re working through our brand transformation and are happy to share that 70 stores have been rebranded to Woolworths so far with our latest store being Māngere East. We relaunch Hobsonville and Kaiapoi this week, taking the total to 72,” she said on Tuesday.
“We’ll continue to work through the transformation programme and invest in upgrading our stores across the country but are unable to provide specifics on which stores will be done at which stage.”
One insider said it might take up to a week or more to rebrand a single store.
“That would be no surprise because it’s only five working days. That would be what you’d expect. It could well take a couple of years to get through all of this.
“Just think what has to change. There is so much inside as well as out. There’s only a small team managing it and there’s so much to every supermarket rebrand,” he said.
Every shelf sign above each product category, every internal wall sign and tills, safety signage and car park signs had to be changed, he said.
A team within Woolworths was managing the process which might take two years to complete, he estimated, encouraging people who thought it would be faster to have patience.
“If you think about this, it’s certainly not just the big signs on the exterior of each supermarket. There’s far, far more than that to this,” he said.
Changed and new ventures
The Woolworths spokesperson named four locations where a new store was being built, an existing store upgraded or expanded or a new project was rising.
1. 25 Lake Rd, Devonport, North Shore - ‘dark store’
Photo / 123rf
Devonport only has a New World so the Woolworths business has long had ambitions to develop land it owns on the main thoroughfare to Takapuna.
Although it won’t be a full supermarket, the spokeswoman said the new outlet had won consent recently.
“A resource consent was recently granted from Auckland Council to open New Zealand’s first standalone direct-to-boot facility on Lake Rd. We’re currently working through the building consent process and look forward to introducing the service to our Devonport customers as soon as possible.
“Customers will be able to order their groceries online for free. When their order is ready for collection, they’ll be able to collect locally and our team will place the groceries in their car boot,” she said.
This is to be Woolworth’s first standalone facility with no supermarket attached, she said.
2. Taupō Central, store being rebuilt
Plans shown here for the rebuilt Woolworths, under way in Taupō Central.
This project is due to open later next year and comes after the deconstruction of the old store last October.
“The development will have the latest design features to create a fantastic shopping experience for the local community,” the Woolworths spokeswoman said.
“This includes a 5 Green Star standard store consisting of energy efficient, low water usage components to contribute to a sustainable future. The retail area will be around 50% bigger than our old store in addition to an online facility with a direct to boot service.
“There’ll also be a new undercover cover carpark with over 140 spaces and a 120 space carpark in front of the store. We’re working closely with iwi to refurbish the Pou Carvings from our old store and look forward to incorporating these into our new store design.”
Store manager Jess Stubbs said last year that the old store was 63 years old, small and compact and did not have a great flow.
The population in the area had grown and Countdown Taupō Central closed last October 1.
While the store was being rebuilt, staff relocated to the Countdown Taupō South location, so there would be no job losses. Those staff would be trained for roles in the new Central store, which required up to 50 more staff, Stubbs said last year.
The new store was expected to have underground car parking as well as EV charging spots and four campervan spaces, Stubbs said.
3. New supermarket, Nelson Junction, Annesbrook
Woolworths has plans for new outlets including a new store at Nelson Junction at Annesbrook. Photo / Sergio Dionisio/Bloomberg
This busy junction in the Tāhunanui area will be a prominent location for Woolworths.
“We’re also looking forward to developing a new supermarket in Nelson Junction, Annesbrook, following a resource consent granted to the Gibbons family, owners of G P Investments,” the spokeswoman said.
The store will not be owned by Woolworths but will be operated by that business.
This is to be a 4000sq m store with 190 car parks and the latest store features and designs. A Green Star rating is anticipated once the building is finished, the spokeswoman said.
4. Highland Park
Turning their backs on the competition: An existing Woolworths (left) right beside the new $100m Pak'nSave Highland Park in east Auckland. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Legacy Construction has been working on this large existing Woolworths in east Auckland for months.
Extra car parking is being added and the store is being upgraded.
“We’ve done an internal refurbishment which is largely complete. This includes a new in-store pharmacy, new refrigeration with energy and sustainability efficiencies, improvements to our bakery, produce and health and body aisles, as well as four additional self checkouts,” the spokeswoman said.
External refurbishments included a new direct-to-boot facility with five dedicated covered car parks.
“These are perfect for our online shoppers to remain in the comfort of their vehicles while our helpful store team loads their shopping straight in the boot,” she said.
A new car park deck is also rising to double the number of spaces outside the store entrance.
“Our existing undercover car park is being upgraded to include a new travelator to ensure accessibility from the downstairs car park to the store. The front car park is still available for customers to use during the temporary disruptions to our underground car park from the works,” she said.
This existing rebranded Woolworths is beside the new $100m Pak’nSave being built by Foodstuffs North Island.
Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 24 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.
