New Zealand has another coronavirus-related death - a man in his 60s from the Rosewood Rest Home in Christchurch. The country also has five new Covid-19 cases today - two confirmed and three probable.
The Warehouse Group will next week launch drive-thru online shopping collection points at some stores and roll out click and collect to 230 stores.
The NZX-listed retailer which operates retail chains The Warehouse, Warehouse Stationery, Noel Leeming, Torpedo7 and e-commerce site TheMarket, says it will be trialling drive-thru order collection at four locations - Albany, Westgate, Royal Oak and Manukau.
Following an online order, shoppers will receive a text once their order is ready to collect. The service will begin from Tuesday.
Pejman Okhovat, chief operating officer at The Warehouse, said the move will allow consumers to shop safely as the retailer, along with the rest of the country, transitions into operating under alert level 3.
"While we can't open our stores during this time, we can offer another safe and secure way for Kiwis to shop our complete online range that's free, except for oversize items, and easy to use," Okhovat said.
The company's electronics chain Noel Leeming will allow appointments for devices that need repairs and its outdoor equipment retailer will operate contactless bike service repairs under level 3 lockdown.
Its online e-commerce business TheMarket and its Red Shed business The Warehouse will offer drive-thru pick-up at some Auckland stores.
"This is just another example of how we are adapting our business to this changing environment and our team members are doing their best to provide customers with a convenient service, while keeping everyone safe," Okhovat said.
TheMarket chief executive Justus Wilde said the online store had shoppers would be also be able to use its drive-thru collection service to pick-up groceries.
The business has also partnered with meal kit and ready-made meal companies Foodbox, HyperMeat and Jess's Underground Kitchen.
Supermarket Countdown will also offer a drive-thru collection service at its newly opened Rototuna store in Hamilton.
The opening of the online-only store was fast-tracked due to increased demand for groceries following the mandatory lockdown.
The store will test a range of new technologies and will open to the public in June.
"With New Zealanders staying home for the lockdown, more people than ever want groceries delivered to their door or ordered online for pick up. We made the call to open our Rototuna store early as an online-only fulfilment site to help increase our online shopping capacity in the Waikato area and support more customers," Countdown's general manager of digital, Sally Copland, said.
"We've already closed six other stores temporarily around the country to support online shopping, and last week we opened the first dedicated e-store in Auckland. All of this is designed to help increase the amount of pick up and delivery we can offer to Kiwis at this challenging time."
The Rototuna store will have the capability to fulfil more than 2500 online orders each week and service the wider Hamilton region. It will operate 12-hours a day and seven days a week.
