Woolworths is a New Zealand wide supermarket chain and a unit of
Woolworths LimitedWoolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is the:* largest retail company in Australia and New Zealand by market capitalisation and sales...
.
Founded in 1929 by Percy Christmas, the chain was separated from the parent company Woolworths Limited in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
and was called Woolworths New Zealand. The chain during this period was mainly Variety and General Merchandise products trading under the Woolworths brand
In 1956 Woolworths first entered food retailing with their Food Fair store, it wasn't until 1967 that Woolworths launched its first Supermarket in Henderson
Woolworths was expanding and in 1971 acquired the self help grocery chain and later rebranded these as Woolworths.
In 1979 Woolworths was sold to L.D.
Woolworths is a New Zealand wide supermarket chain and a unit of
Woolworths LimitedWoolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is the:* largest retail company in Australia and New Zealand by market capitalisation and sales...
.
1929 - 1979 Woolworths
Founded in 1929 by Percy Christmas, the chain was separated from the parent company Woolworths Limited in
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
and was called Woolworths New Zealand. The chain during this period was mainly Variety and General Merchandise products trading under the Woolworths brand
In 1956 Woolworths first entered food retailing with their Food Fair store, it wasn't until 1967 that Woolworths launched its first Supermarket in Henderson
Woolworths was expanding and in 1971 acquired the self help grocery chain and later rebranded these as Woolworths.
1979 - 1990 L.D. Nathan
In 1979 Woolworths was sold to L.D. Nathan. At that time L.D Nathan owned the Super Value North Island supermarkets, they rebranded these stores to Woolworths.
1980 saw L.D. Nathan acquire the McKenzies General Merchandise stores, these stores were then rebranded as Woolworths. With the large number of general merchandise and supermarkets L.D Nathan decided in 1985 to split the into two separate divisions; supermarkets and general merchandise. L.D Nathan rebranded their General Merchandise business in 1988 to
DEKADEKA was a general merchandise brand that was launched in 1988 by L.D. Nathan after splitting their supermarket and general merchandise divisions.- History :...
. 1987 and 1988 saw the launch of the
Price ChopperPrice Chopper was part of the Woolworths New Zealand Supermarket Group, their brands included: Woolworths, Big Fresh and Price Chopper.- History :The Price Chopper format evolved as a discounter with a limited fresh foods offer in 1987...
and
Big FreshBig Fresh was opened in 1988 with its first store in Mount Wellington Auckland. Big Fresh offered a wide range of fresh foods, discount groceries in large market-style store. The concept for Big Fresh was based on a Farmers Market with their focus being on their extensive range of fresh foods...
brands
1990 - 2001 Dairy Farm International
Ownership changed hands in 1990 when
Hong KongHong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a highly autonomous territory of the People's Republic of China, facing Guangdong to the north and the South China Sea to the east, west and south...
's
Dairy Farm InternationalDairy Farm International Holdings Limited is a retail company in Asia, with a legal base in Bermuda. It is a leading pan-Asian retailer which processes food, wholesales food and personal hygiene products in the Pacific region and in China. It is a member of the Jardine Matheson Group. Jardine...
acquired the Woolworths supermarket chain,
The chain had three supermarket brands, each with a different offering: Woolworths is a full-service supermarket;
Big FreshBig Fresh was opened in 1988 with its first store in Mount Wellington Auckland. Big Fresh offered a wide range of fresh foods, discount groceries in large market-style store. The concept for Big Fresh was based on a Farmers Market with their focus being on their extensive range of fresh foods...
offered a themepark style shopping experience, with model animals, dioramas and music; and
Price ChopperPrice Chopper was part of the Woolworths New Zealand Supermarket Group, their brands included: Woolworths, Big Fresh and Price Chopper.- History :The Price Chopper format evolved as a discounter with a limited fresh foods offer in 1987...
was positioned in the discount sector.
The Woolworths stores are broad-range supermarkets with an average size of . The Big Fresh stores were larger, with an average size of , and offered the widest possible selection and excellent value. The Price Chopper stores were compact with an average size of , and were limited-range discount stores located mainly in small towns.
In 1995 Woolworths introduced a pilot online shopping site with a small group of users. This was early days for on-line shopping in New Zealand. Woolworths was a key player in introducing online supermarket shopping to the New Zealand market.
In 1999 Woolworths developed a mini supermarket format at two BP fuel forecourts in a trial project, BP pulled out of the project in 2000.
In 2000 The Food Safety First (FSF) Programme was introduced in all Woolworths and Big Fresh stores nationally. This programme employed HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point). This programme was created by the Ministry of Health to identify all potential hazards and controls them before they result in food poisoning problems.
In 2001 Woolworths partnered with
Gull PetroleumGull Petroleum is a Perth, Western Australian based petroleum company, which retails fuel in Western Australia and New Zealand....
to establish mini supermarkets at Gull fuel forecourts called
Woolworths @ GullWoolworths @ Gull commenced in 2001 as a partnership between Gull Petroleum and Woolworths Supermarkets .They operate under two formats: Micro convenience style stores, and Quickstop, a mini supermarket that offers fresh foods as well as a larger range of groceries.-History:In 1999 Woolworths...
2001 - present Progressive Enterprises
In 2001 Dairy Farm International sold its Woolworths New Zealand Limited business and it merged with
Progressive EnterprisesProgressive Enterprises Limited is an Australian owned company operating in New Zealand, and a subsidiary of the Australian retail group Woolworths Limited....
(operator of
FoodtownFoodtown is a New Zealand supermarket chain owned by Progressive Enterprises. The supermarkets usually tend to be integrated with a shopping mall, and not as stand-alone stores.- 1958 - 1961 Foodtown Supermarkets Limited :...
,
CountdownCountdown is a New Zealand full-service discount supermarket chain owned by Woolworths Limited.Founded in 1981, Countdown is now the flagship brand of Progressive Enterprises, Woolworths' New Zealand supermarket subsidiary, with 70 supermarkets across New Zealand...
, SuperValue and FreshChoice. In 2005,
Woolworths LimitedWoolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is the:* largest retail company in Australia and New Zealand by market capitalisation and sales...
re-acquired the
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
unit.
In 2003 the onecard was launched, this card offers shoppers exclusive discounts on products and entry into competitions. The card was previously known as the Foodtown card but was relaunched with a new name after the merger between Progressive and Woolworths (NZ) Ltd. The card can now be used in Woolworths, Foodtown and Countdown stores.
In October 2006, Progressive Enterprises announced a Discount Fuel Scheme with Gull Petroleum and Shell to offer discounts on petrol when shoppers spend $40 or more in their Woolworths, Foodtown or Countdown Stores. This scheme is similar to the one their Parent company Woolworths Limited offers in Australia.
Rebranding
In September 2009, it was announced that all Woolworths and Foodtown stores in New Zealand would be rebranded as Countown store over the following five years. In spite of the change of name, the new Countdown stores will adopt the design and much of the branding of Australian Woolworths stores, including their new "W" symbol launched in 2008.
Operations
There are 53 Woolworths supermarkets across
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
- 26 in the upper North Island (of which 6 are in Auckland), 17 in the lower North Island, 11 in the South Island, and one on
Waiheke IslandWaiheke Island is an island in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, located about 17.7 km from Auckland....
- the only Progressive supermarket not in the North or South Islands.
There are 22
Woolworths QuickstopWoolworths @ Gull commenced in 2001 as a partnership between Gull Petroleum and Woolworths Supermarkets .They operate under two formats: Micro convenience style stores, and Quickstop, a mini supermarket that offers fresh foods as well as a larger range of groceries.-History:In 1999 Woolworths...
and
MicroWoolworths @ Gull commenced in 2001 as a partnership between Gull Petroleum and Woolworths Supermarkets .They operate under two formats: Micro convenience style stores, and Quickstop, a mini supermarket that offers fresh foods as well as a larger range of groceries.-History:In 1999 Woolworths...
Stores in the North Island.
Private Label brands
- Woolworths Select
- Woolworths Home Brand
- Woolworths Naytura
- Woolworths Freefrom
- Woolworths Essentials
- Signature Range
Previous Private Label brands
- Basics - Replaced by Homebrand in 2005
- No Frills - No Frills was originally used with Franklins
Franklins is a discount supermarket chain selling packaged groceries and perishables throughout New South Wales, Australia. It owns the No Frills brand of generic products, promoted by their mascot, "Red Sock". It is known as "Australia's Original Discount Grocer"...
Australia as their generic range of products, with their ties to Dairy Farm International HoldingsDairy Farm International Holdings Limited is a retail company in Asia, with a legal base in Bermuda. It is a leading pan-Asian retailer which processes food, wholesales food and personal hygiene products in the Pacific region and in China. It is a member of the Jardine Matheson Group. Jardine...
the No Frills product was launched into the Woolworths New Zealand Supermarket Group and had a huge success with the Price ChopperPrice Chopper was part of the Woolworths New Zealand Supermarket Group, their brands included: Woolworths, Big Fresh and Price Chopper.- History :The Price Chopper format evolved as a discounter with a limited fresh foods offer in 1987...
and Big Fresh brands. Originally, the No Frills brand was only used for its peanut butter, honey and potato chips but expanded its range to more than 800 products in packaged groceries and perishables.
- First Choice - First Choice was another generic range of products Woolworths New Zealand Supermarket Group had sold. Launched in 1998, it was developed to provide an alternative to the leading brands and have products with quality equal to or better than the leading brands. The products didn't just have the quality but also had prices that were anywhere between 10-15% cheaper than the national brands. First Choice had over 600 different products and new products were continually being developed everyday.
These brands were dropped by
Progressive EnterprisesProgressive Enterprises Limited is an Australian owned company operating in New Zealand, and a subsidiary of the Australian retail group Woolworths Limited....
when
Dairy Farm International HoldingsDairy Farm International Holdings Limited is a retail company in Asia, with a legal base in Bermuda. It is a leading pan-Asian retailer which processes food, wholesales food and personal hygiene products in the Pacific region and in China. It is a member of the Jardine Matheson Group. Jardine...
sold the company in 2002, and replaced with the Signature Range (SR) and Basics brands. With the purchase of
Progressive EnterprisesProgressive Enterprises Limited is an Australian owned company operating in New Zealand, and a subsidiary of the Australian retail group Woolworths Limited....
by
Woolworths LimitedWoolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is the:* largest retail company in Australia and New Zealand by market capitalisation and sales...
See also
- Progressive Enterprises
Progressive Enterprises Limited is an Australian owned company operating in New Zealand, and a subsidiary of the Australian retail group Woolworths Limited....
- Foodtown
Foodtown is a New Zealand supermarket chain owned by Progressive Enterprises. The supermarkets usually tend to be integrated with a shopping mall, and not as stand-alone stores.- 1958 - 1961 Foodtown Supermarkets Limited :...
- onecard
- Countdown
Countdown is a New Zealand full-service discount supermarket chain owned by Woolworths Limited.Founded in 1981, Countdown is now the flagship brand of Progressive Enterprises, Woolworths' New Zealand supermarket subsidiary, with 70 supermarkets across New Zealand...
- Woolworths @ Gull
Woolworths @ Gull commenced in 2001 as a partnership between Gull Petroleum and Woolworths Supermarkets .They operate under two formats: Micro convenience style stores, and Quickstop, a mini supermarket that offers fresh foods as well as a larger range of groceries.-History:In 1999 Woolworths...
- Woolworths Limited
Woolworths Limited is a major Australian company with extensive retail interest throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is the:* largest retail company in Australia and New Zealand by market capitalisation and sales...
- Woolworths Supermarkets Australia
- Big Fresh
Big Fresh was opened in 1988 with its first store in Mount Wellington Auckland. Big Fresh offered a wide range of fresh foods, discount groceries in large market-style store. The concept for Big Fresh was based on a Farmers Market with their focus being on their extensive range of fresh foods...
- Price Chopper
Price Chopper was part of the Woolworths New Zealand Supermarket Group, their brands included: Woolworths, Big Fresh and Price Chopper.- History :The Price Chopper format evolved as a discounter with a limited fresh foods offer in 1987...
External links