New World Hawera is to close following a review of the long-term sustainability of the store by Foodstuffs North Island Ltd.
Waiheke, New Zealand, 2014-7-30 — /EPR Retail News/ — “We regularly review the brands and our store offerings to ensure we continue to provide a relevant offering to our customers and the wider community. Regular reviews are important to ensure we are in a strong position to provide a sustainable supermarket offer and employment opportunities now and into the future,” says Angela Bull, General Manager Property Development.
Customers in Hawera currently have three supermarkets to choose from, including New World and PAK’nSAVE which are Foodstuffs North Island stores. A recent review of Foodstuffs stores found that due to the current size of the population and what is projected for the future, it will become increasingly tough to support three supermarkets in the town. Foodstuffs has therefore taken the very difficult decision to close New World Hawera.
“Our commitment to the region remains strong and PAK’nSAVE will continue to serve Hawera and the South Taranaki district, ensuring the community’s everyday shopping requirements are met through our policy of New Zealand’s lowest food prices.
Closing a store is a decision we don’t take lightly, but we believe in this case it’s the best decision to ensure we can continue to provide our Hawera customers with a strong Kiwi owned and operated supermarket offering with employment opportunities for the long-term,” added Bull.
The 32 full-time staff and 21 part-time staff will be provided with support to find alternative roles at other Foodstuffs stores, including nearby PAK’nSAVE Hawera.
“While I’m disappointed New World Hawera will be closing, I understand the logic behind the very difficult decision Foodstuffs has made. The team at New World Hawera do a fantastic job and we’re very much looking forward to continuing to serve our customers right up until the closing date of 31 August,” says Rachel Clayton, third generation grocer and New World Hawera owner-operator.
New World Hawera will close on 31 August, 2014 and it will be business as usual in store until this date.
PAK’nSAVE Hawera is located at 54 Prince Street and the nearest New World is located in Stratford.