Consumer Watchdog: Stocked to buyers' tastes

New Zealand Food and Grocery Council CEO Katherine Rich. Photo / Herald on Sunday

You are what you eat - and where you eat.

As far as supermarkets are concerned, not all shoppers are created equal.

If you go to Mangere, you can buy a pig's head, taro or a 5kg bag of rice. At Ponsonby, fresh guacamole and smoked pepper mackerel are available.

Shoppers' demands are increasingly dictating what's on the shelf, say those in the business. Store location, affluence, ethnic diversity and the age of customers are some of the factors influencing operators' decisions.

New Zealand Food and Grocery Council CEO Katherine Rich said tinned-meat products, especially corned beef, sold almost exclusively in Auckland.

In the far south of New Zealand, shoppers enjoyed the "soup season" for longer.

Auckland stores show more diversity than anywhere in the country, Rich said. "A shopper in Remuera and Devonport will likely buy different kinds of bread to a shopper in South Auckland for lots of reasons, and income is one."

Murray Johnston, general manager of buying for Progressive Enterprises, said that central Auckland supermarkets catered to apartment-dwellers and students, while Botany had "more of an Asian twist".

Blockhouse Bay Foodtown served an older community - shoppers there were looking for basic products such as milk in small serving sizes. Stores were reviewing product lines more frequently than ever to meet demand.

Freeman's Bay New World caters to some of the country's most high-end customers - residents of Herne Bay, St Marys Bay and Ponsonby.

It stocks 16 fresh herbs, including kaffir lime leaves, and meats including duck roast and venison.

In Birkenhead, almost half of households are families with children - and their love for pets is reflected at Countdown, where almost an entire aisle is dedicated to pet food and toys.