South Wairarapa war for food giants

Supermarket giants are likely to go head-to-head in South Wairarapa with the news that Progressive Enterprises is building a new store in Greytown.
The announcement last week by Progressive Enterprises to build Greytown's first-ever full-sized supermarket under its Fresh Choice banner has not fazed Trust House, which is pressing ahead with plans for a huge supermarket of its own in neighbouring Featherston.
General manager operations Allan Pollard said news of the pending arrival of Fresh Choice in Greytown would not alter Trust House plans.
Trust House was awaiting the outcome of the legislative process and its business practice was to focus on its own job and not to worry about what competitors were planning, Mr Pollard said.
"We are still going through the resource consent process so the project is in limbo but as far as we are concerned it is absolutely all go," he said.
The Featherston supermarket project has lagged well behind its initial programme, which has been attributed to the legislative requirements.
Trust House has done the groundwork, clearing the site in the centre of Featherston to allow for the construction of a multi-million-dollar shopping complex that will extend from where the former Chung's Supermarket stood to the corner of Johnston St.
In Greytown, the arrival of Fresh Choice means that franchise will go head-to-head for business not only with the new Featherston complex but also with the existing, and much smaller, Trust House-owned community supermarket at the northern end of the shopping centre.
The new South Wairarapa supermarkets seem likely to turn up the heat for the shoppers' dollars as traditionally many Greytown people, in particular, have split their grocery spending between their own town and supermarkets in Carterton and Masterton.
Although Chung's has disappeared and Featherston's existing Four Square supermarket will be swallowed up by the new complex, competition is sure to be fierce.
Wairarapa will be serviced by major grocery outlets such as Pain & Kershaw in Martinborough and the large new complex in Featherston, Fresh Choice and the community supermarket in Greytown, New World in Carterton and Pak'n Save, Countdown, New World and Shoprite in Masterton.
In addition, there are a host of smaller outlets from Pirinoa Country Store to the Eketahuna Community Store.
North Wairarapa shoppers also shop in significant numbers at Pahiatua New World, especially on the last Saturday in each month when that store holds its monthly market day.
In years gone by, Featherston was the centre of a fierce grocery price war with five grocery outlets all serving the town.
Chung's, Beckett's, Gibson's, Fenwick's and Lett's grocer shops competed heavily and, in previous years, Greytown was also spoiled for choice with the WFCA, Day's and Everett's groceries.