Stratford Countdown ready to open

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: Manager Shaun Wall outside the Countdown supermarket set to open in Stratford this month.

There's plenty of exciting stuff in store for Stratford shoppers, says Shaun Wall, manager of Stratford Countdown. The store is due to open its doors to the public by the end of the month, and the shelves are already beginning to fill up with grocery items.

The Stratford Press met with Shaun at the site to get a tour around the spacious new building.

"We have plenty of skylights in the main area, reducing the need for artificial lighting where possible," Shaun says.

The use of natural light, combined with LED lighting throughout the store, is just one of the ways the store is reducing its environmental footprint where possible.

"We also have lids on the chest freezers to keep the cool in more effectively."

In the chiller department, the milk fridges are stocked from the back, rather than the front, ensuring stock is rotated easily.

With five self-service checkouts, and online services to be rolled out once customer need has been determined, Shaun says Stratford shoppers will find their grocery shopping experience quick and hassle free.

"We also offer a lot more than groceries now. We have lotto, a full service bakery and will also have apparel, kitchenware and appliances for sale as well as all the usual grocery and produce items you expect to see in a supermarket."

While the doors aren't open to the public yet, staff have already been recruited for the store, with the senior team all "signed up and ready to go", says Shaun, who adds that 90 per cent of the staff will be local.

Countdown offers great career opportunities, says Shaun, who started with the company in 1997, filling shelves. "I went into the butchery department after that and worked as a butcher with Countdown for 10 years, at which point I realised I was interested in the management side of things."

Within three years of expressing an interest in store management, Shaun found himself managing the Hawera store.

"Countdown are committed to growing careers and if you want to go far, then you have plenty of opportunity to do so. You can even travel internationally. It's all possible with the right attitude and commitment."