Progressive spends $130 million on expansion

Photo / APN

New Zealand's biggest supermarket chain will open four North Island stores worth more than $85 million before the end of this year.

Early next year it will open a further two, taking its spending to around $130 million. More than 600 people are being employed by owner Progressive Enterprises for the four new North Island stores.

The chain is finishing stores at Warkworth, Silverdale, Manurewa and Wellington's Newtown.

Progressive's Warkworth stand-alone Countdown on Neville St will open on October 17, with about 160 people expected to work there.

The new Silverdale Countdown opens on October 19 and is part of the 36-unit Silverdale Centre.

Manurewa's Countdown is expected to be finished around late November or early December.

The Newtown Countdown, at the corner of Adelaide Rd and John St, will open in December.

Next year stores will open in Mt Roskill and Wellington's Tawa.

New stores

This year:
* Warkworth: October 17.
* Silverdale: October 18.
* Manurewa: November/December.
* Newtown, Wellington: December.

Next year:
* Mt Roskill on Stoddard Rd.
* Tawa, Wellington.