New World notches up city first

By Bob Dey

Foodstuffs held official opening ceremonies for its $24 million, 4000 sq m Victoria Park New World supermarket on Monday, and went straight into 14-hour trading yesterday.

It is the first supermarket within the central business district's fringe and opens 18 years after Foodstuffs began its search for a suitable property in the Ponsonby area. It secured the old gasworks site at the foot of College Hill two years ago.

There are innovations - one is the long-slab concrete which forms the carpark ceiling, helping reduce the number of pillars. The improved parking configuration meant 40 extra spaces could be provided.

The supermarket can expect to take trade from the Liquorland outlet across Franklin Rd, but Foodstuffs (Auckland) chairman Hugh Perrett says other outlets may also feel New World's arrival: "We believe wine will go well here, if for no other reason than that most of the other wine shops around here are expensive."

The supermarket is owned by Rob McGregor, whose parents established the New World in Te Kuiti in 1966. Rob McGregor's father Jim says at that time, New Zealanders by and large did not know what a supermarket was all about. "We had three staff before and 28 when it opened, and none of them knew what a supermarket was. Now they're all trained. When we started, we had to convince people supermarkets were a good place to shop."

It was a punt which brought eventual success. "After nine years working in the bank I had sterling 300 superannuation and went in with sterling 60,000 debt [which became $120,000 as the opening coincided with conversion to decimal currency]. It was the 10th year of operation before we made a taxable profit. It was a struggle."

Son Peter now runs the Te Kuiti store and Rob McGregor came to Auckland from the Hillcrest New World in Hamilton.

Their father was keen to see the innovations brought about through membership of the umbrella Foodstuffs group, keenly aware of the different market in Auckland. "Providing what the customer wants is the key to it. There are always new taste experiences, Asian food, new European food. You've got to be a step ahead, and that's what this supermarket is about."