New Zealanders tuning in to Asian food

By SCOTT MacLEOD

Twenty per cent of shoppers now visit an Asian supermarket at least once a month, reflecting the marked shift in shopping habits that has taken place over recent years.

The figure, which comes from an ACNielsen market research survey, gives a glimpse into the extent to which Asian culture has affected shopping patterns.

The figure is not surprising given that nearly one in every 10 people in New Zealand is Asian, but ACNielsen said that the "previously unmeasured category is one to watch, particularly in the larger cities".

The manager of the Soung Yueen store in central Auckland's Hobson St, Richard Fong, said he had noticed more non-Asians in his shop.

He attributed the jump to more apartments in the central city, and New Zealand's growing taste for Asian cooking.

"People come in here because they want to cook their own food, but they don't know how so they ask us," Mr Fong said.

In the store's Otahuhu branch, many of the non-Asian shoppers were Maori or Pacific Islanders with big families.

Another factor pushing sales might be cost, with specials such as pork mince at $3.99 a kg.

Mr Fong estimated that 60 per cent to 70 per cent of his Hobson St customers were Asian, mostly Chinese. All but one of his customers was Asian when the Herald visited.

Most of New Zealand's supermarkets are owned by Foodstuffs and Progressive Enterprises, which control more than 90 per cent of the sector.

The ACNielsen survey said supermarkets would "face strong competition from the non-traditional grocery sector for fresh foods".

ACNielsen marketing manager Emma Shutes said Asian supermarkets were included in the survey because they "just seemed to be taking off, and we wanted to get a feel for what was happening".

The figures came from face-to-face interviews with 500 people in August.

The subjects were told that questions about Asian supermarkets referred to large stores such as Tai Ping, rather than local dairies.

There are thought to be at least 15 large Asian stores in Auckland City.