Flaxmere residents "deserve something on this land that’s been prepared".
A Flaxmere business will “do its best” to help those struggling to cope with the closure of the suburb’s only supermarket, saying it will aim to meet customer needs by expanding its store and range depending on community needs.
Like the rest of the Flaxmere community, business owners Boband Sunny Singh of the Swansea Island Food Mart said they were “in shock” when they heard about the pending closure of the nearby New World supermarket on February 25.
They had been called to action before, proving to be a vital lifeline when Flaxmere was without power during Cyclone Gabrielle.
They said this would be similar in many ways but just on a bigger scale, expanding their store into a “mini-supermarket” style space and meeting customer requests as they arise.
“It will just be a way to help the people,” Bob said.
“We will try to get a bit of everything in, most of the things you see in a small grocery store we will have.”
Sunny Singh of the Swansea Island Food Mart says the business will do all it can to make it easier for people to get groceries in Flaxmere. Photo / Paul Taylor
Sunny added the new space would look similar to a Four-Square type of supermarket with added shelving and more utilisation of the shop’s outdoor area.
It would likely include space for frozen goods, produce and other key amenities.
He said locals were “surprised and happy” when they heard about the changes, particularly those who used mobility scooters and walkers.
“It’s less stress on them. It helps to have something local instead of having to go all the way into town.”
Both Bob and Sunny understood their change wouldn’t be a permanent solution to the problem and agreed that a larger supermarket was still very much needed from a community perspective.
“We are helping because, in the future, we don’t know what is going to happen. We can really just do our best,” Bob said.
“People need something more permanent.”
Competition isn’t a word that crosses their minds, as they both believe the New World helped ease the pressure during busy periods.
“We were really happy with New World over there because there wasn’t too much pressure in here. Now, we might have a bit more,” Bob said.
“If another supermarket does come, it won’t affect us. We’re just trying to do what we are doing, and they will do what they are doing,” Sunny said.
It’s uncertain how long Flaxmere, a suburb of over 10,000 people, will be without a full-size supermarket.
Woolworths says it is not moving into the site set to be vacated by the soon-to-be-closing New World.
Flaxmere Four Square owner Becky Gee said she was also anticipating a lot of New World customers would turn to their outlet for groceries.
“If they are going to close, we may have to increase our staff, and stock to accommodate and take on those customers,” she previously told Hawke’s Bay Today.
She said the Four Square was not likely to move into bigger premises and had no plans to move into the New World building.
Other solutions aired at a public meeting on Saturday included having a regular shuttle service to town to take advantage of the food rescue non-profit Nourished for Nil and using the click-and-collect service other supermarkets provide.
Flaxmere community gathered to peacefully protest against the closure of New World. Photo / Paul Taylor
A peaceful hikoi took place on Wednesday at 7pm attended by about 150 people of all ages, with the same message, “Save our supermarket”.
The group started the walk at Ka Pai Cuppa Teina at Flaxmere Park and made their way to the New World.
They sang and chanted and a microphone was passed around and stories were shared of why their supermarket needed to stay open.
One protestor said that the supermarket was a lot more than a place to get food rather it provided an income for those who worked there and offered shoppers a personal experience.
The people of Flaxmere said it was time to use their voices and hoped for the good of the community that they will get a suitable outcome.
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
