SupermarketNews Magazine | December 2018

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Dec/Jan 2019 • Vol. 12 No. 1

editorialcomment TRENDS THAT YOU (THANKFULLY) WON’T SEE IN 2019 Sarah Mitchell Editorial Director

sarah@reviewmags.com

Move over avocado on toast – you’re dead to us. Although good for you, the turbulent times the industry saw this year with prices of avocado annoyed customers and made the foodservice industry hate the mass following it gained. But what other foods will we leave behind this year?

Activated charcoal is one of them, a trend that, in some cases, turned out to be not so healthy. Although bowl food was served at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding, news sources and critics have pointed out that there is actually no such thing as bowl food, in the same way there is no such thing as plate food. Finger food however, is totally a thing.

Glitter bagels, pizza and coffee will also be left behind despite the popularity of ‘mermaid food trends’ this one left consumers adding craft glitter into their food which should not be consumed.

Finally, the Tide Pod Challenge that went viral at the beginning of the year which saw teenagers posting videos of themselves eating pods of toxic laundry

diarynotes

detergent was condemned by all. Despite this, restaurants decided to recreate the trend in edible forms including Tide Pod donuts, Tide Pod pizza, and Tide Pod shots (with edible counterparts). This is one trend that won't see in the New Year.

Some that look to become significant trends in 2019 are those around digestive wellness. New Nutrition Business, a consultancy company in the USA alongside Kroger, believe that gut-healthy foods will be one of five leading the charge. Whole Foods Market (a business of Amazon) has also predicted digestive health will see rapid growth in 2019.

Catching the consumers’ attention? Shelfstable products containing probiotics.

New strains of probiotics are making these shelf-stable products more readily available and wellness-focused brands are adding functional probiotic ingredients to pantry stables like cereals, nut butters, soups and nutrition bars. Kellogg’s has recently introduced the Hi! Happy Inside cereal overseas that features fibre, probiotics and prebiotics as ingredients with the company describing the new range as a wellness brand following findings of 92 percent of adults who believe that to maintain good overall health, maintaining digestive health is key. “This new cereal provides a proactive real food solution to people

who want to incorporate more prebiotics and probiotics into their diets,” said Aleta Chase, marketing director at Kellogg.

Back home in New Zealand, Healtheries Vitaplan brand has recently launched smoothie supplements that contain both pre-and probiotics. These digestive health products also cater to those busy consumers who don’t have time to stop for a meal. Other trends to watch for in 2019 will include seed butters, products with reduced or no added sugar, hemp products, meat-free, and whole foods.

Flavour of the year? Sour thanks to the growing popularity and influence of Korean, Filipino and Persian cuisines.

In this, the last issue of the year, the team have put together a 2018 round up as part of the Market Report where IRI have broken down the year that was.

Thank you to all that have and continue to support the publication, we couldn’t do it without you. I will be taking some maternity leave at the start of 2019 and will be back in the first half of the year.

The team led by Georgina McKimm will be happy to help with any enquiries or storyleads in the New Year.

Wishing everyone a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year. We look forward to working with everyone in 2019. Enjoy the issue.

ATTENTION GROCERY SUPPLIERS The Food and Grocery Council is an industry association for grocery suppliers providing members networking, events, industry information and strong advocacy.

Contact us for information on the benefits of membership: katherine.rich@fgc.org.nz • Networking • Industry Updates • Conference and Events • Education and Training • Advocacy and Law Reform

www.fgc.org.nz January 27-30, 2019: ISM, Cologne

April 2: FMCG Expo 2019, Auckland University

February 20: Building Diversity in Your Business Diversity Works

May 15: KAM Networking, ASB

March 19: Emerging Leaders Forum 2019, Eden Park

departments

05 Market Report 16 Best of What’s New 18 Store Of The Month 20 Best of What to Stock 23 Rising Star

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SupermarketNews is published under license. Please direct all enquiries and correspondence to SupermarketNews. The opinions and material published in this edition of SupermarketNews are not necessarily those of the publishers unless specifically stated. All material in this publication is copyright and may only be reproduced with the consent of the publisher.

Copyright 2018

PUBLISHER Tania Walters, tania@reviewmags.com

EDITORIAL STAFF Caitlan Mitchell, caitlan@reviewmags.com Georgina McKimm, georgina@reviewmags.com Mark Fullerton, mark@reviewmags.com

GENERAL MANAGER Kieran Mitchell, kieran@reviewmags.com

ADVERTISING SALES Felicity-Anne Flack, felicity@reviewmags.com

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Sarah Mitchell, sarah@reviewmags.com

ONLINE SALES Georgia Saywell, georgia@reviewmags.com

CHAIRMAN Peter Mitchell, peter@reviewmags.com

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SENIOR DESIGNER Raymund Sarmiento, raymund@reviewmags.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Ciaran Carroll, kez@reviewmags.com ISSN No.

1173-3365

Suite 9, Level 3, 20 Augustus Tce, Parnell, Auckland PO Box 37140 Parnell, Auckland Tel (09) 3040142 Fax (09) 3772794

The NEW ZEALAND BEVERAGE COUNCIL is an industry association whose members cover all aspects of the non-alcoholic beverage market both in New Zealand and the export markets.

The Council members are spread throughout New Zealand and come together annually for an industry conference that covers industry issues and is addressed by international speakers. The organisation monitors product quality and sets standards for the industry and runs national competitions and awards.

THE NEW ZEALAND BEVERAGE COUNCIL (NZBC) P.O. Box 47, AUCKLAND 1140, New Zealand.

Email: info@nzbc.nz Phone: +64 9 309 6100 DDI: +64 9 302 9932

news COUNTDOWN GETS FUNKY

NZ CRICKET PARTNERS WITH GILLETTE

Gillette has been announced as the official partner of Burger King Super Smash and official grooming partner of the Blackcaps. The two brands will come together for the 2018/2019 season that will see the shaving brand take on the role of ‘grooming partner’ for the New Zealand cricket team and the domestic Burger King Super Smash series as well as the National Secondary Schools partner (Gillette Cup and Gillette Venus Cup). James Wear, New Zealand Cricket general manager of commercial said he is looking forward to a great partnership with the grooming brand.

“Gillette is a well-known brand with close associations to leading sports around the world including cricket.” Cricket is the number one summer sport in New Zealand, with 1.5 million New Zealanders identifying themselves as fans of cricket in New Zealand. “Gillette has a rich sport heritage and longstanding commitment to cricket around the world, so it is a natural fit to support the New Zealand team and the sport in this country,” added Rajeev Sathyesh, Gillette brand director APAC. n

Vegan alternative Funky Fields willhas launched its plant-based mince in Countdown supermarkets. Made to taste just like the real thing the minced alternative offers Kiwis the opportunity to enjoy classic recipes such as lasagne or spaghetti bolognese – but with a vegan twist.

Aptly named Minced, the plant-based option also has the protein content of beef when cooked. The alternative offering is made using a combination of soya and wheat protein, beetroot, mushrooms, tomato and coconut oil.

Funky Fields director, Peter Jones, hopes introducing Minced in New Zealand will reinvent the meat category by challenging the perception that meat-like products can only

come from animals. Countdown has reported a 30 percent growth in vegan and vegetarian chilled food. n

TABASCO TURNS 150 One of New Zealand’s favourite hot sauce brands, Tabasco is celebrating its 150th anniversary. What was originally started by the McIlhenny Company, founded by Edmund McIlhenny in 1868 on Avery Island in Louisiana has grown to include 200 employees, half of whom still work and live on the island. Current president and CEO, Anthony Simmons is the seventh McIlhenny family member in a chain of direct descendants.

“My family and all of us at McIlhenny Company are truly humbled by the love we’ve seen for Tabasco Sauce that has brought us to this incredible anniversary.” Tabasco is currently sold in more than 195 countries and labelled in 25 different languages and dialects. n

BUYING LOCAL TRENDING

GIVING A HELPING HAND

New Zealand supermarket chain Countdown has partnered with The Salvation Army to launch the Countdown Food Rescue Christmas Appeal. The appeal comes as food parcel demands continue to remain high, especially during the Christmas season. As part of the appeal, Countdown will donate 90,000 dollars’ worth of groceries to The Salvation Army with the aim of helping 17,000 Kiwi families in need.

The Salvation Army’s national secretary for welfare services, Major Pamela Waugh, said that the demand for food parcels is at an all-time high and historically, there is always a peak in food parcel demand over the festive season. As part of the campaign, shoppers will also be able to donate food in specially marked trolleys in-store, or online via The Foodbank Project, New Zealand’s only online food bank. n

It’s no secret that buying locally made products has been increasing in popularity with consumers for the past few years. But are supermarkets stocking enough locally made products? In recent years both major New Zealand supermarket chains Foodstuffs and Countdown have begun stocking more New Zealand artisan products and NZ grown produce in-store.

This trend is driven by a growing number of sustainable conscious consumers who not only seek to support their local community but also care about their carbon footprint. According to Nielsen data, 52 percent of New Zealanders said that they try to buy NZ made products as often as possible with fresh produce being the most important locally sourced category. While high-end Auckland supermarket chain Farro Fresh has the most extensive range of New Zealand artisan products, major supermarket banner groups have been making an effort to stock more locally made products.

“We work with more than 1200 local Kiwi farmers and our first preference is always to buy locally wherever we can,” said a spokesperson for

Countdown. As Foodstuffs stores are locally owned, it gives them an even greater opportunity to seek NZ made products. “Our stores are locally owned and operated, so we always strive to stock stores’ shelves with local products that are specific to local communities,” explained Phil Lemon, general manager merchandise, Foodstuffs South Island.

As Kiwis continue to care more about where their products are coming from, supermarkets will continue to grow their local brand representation on shelf. n

FONTERRA SELLING TIP TOP

After months of speculation, Fonterra has confirmed that Tip Top has been placed on the market. Australian investment bank Macquarie Capital has reportedly been hired to sell the brand which is thought to be worth an estimated $400 million. The sale is the result of Fonterra undergoing a strategic review after it reported a loss of $196 million for the 2018 financial year. n December/January 2019

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CADBURY’s iconic Easter range has been refreshed this year, with colourful and contemporary designs sure to get mouths watering.

The new-look premium gift box range is sure to surprise and delight, with striking foil designs and delicious treats inside.

The ever-popular CADBURY gift boxed egg range, including CADBURY DAIRY MILK milk chocolate, MORO and PASCALL PINEAPPLE LUMPS now feature eye-catching new designs to make them the perfect gift for anyone.

Shoppers will be delighted to see the new-look premium gift box range, featuring modern foil designs individually hand-wrapped over a chocolate egg and filled with delicious treats.

With two new flavours, CADBURY FAVOURITES and Turkish Delight, these are sure to surprise and delight.

For something to share, or to keep all for yourself, the classic egg bags with bite-sized solid milk chocolate eggs always go down a treat, and shoppers will be sure to notice the striking new egg foil designs.

Kiwi fans of the CADBURY Marshmallow Egg will notice a difference, as the eggs now come in a new shape.

Still plenty of fluffy marshmallow and chocolatey goodness to enjoy, in a range of formats to choose from including 175g and 320g Marshmallow Egg share-packs and four flavours of 150g Marshmallow Egg trays – delicious Vanilla, Peppermint, Caramel and Pineapple Lumps.

CADBURY Marshmallow Egg fans can go in the draw to win $500 daily with every marked multipack purchase. See pack for details. And it wouldn’t be Easter without the iconic CADBURY DAIRY MILK milk chocolate bunnies – but make sure you stock up, because these friendly little characters never seem to stick around long.

Happy Easter from the team at Cadbury.

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INNOVATION DRIVING GROWTH As Kiwis, we love to try new products, with 45 % of New Zealanders agreeing to this in a recent survey (IRI State of the Industry Survey 06/18)

and in 2018, new products added $528 million to New Zealand grocery stores (IRI MarketEdge MAT data to 16/09/18).

However, in 2018, launching new products and brands into the New Zealand market has been more challenging than ever before.

IRI MarketEdge MAT data to 16/09/18 showed that across the grocery channel, the number of products ranged in 2018 went down by 7.3% versus prior year (3% when you exclude general merchandise).

Retailers have indicated strong support for new lines. However, are struggling with the pace at which they can manage poor performing products out to enable space.

Existing ranges are therefore under more intense scrutiny.

If we look at innovation, we see that 20.3% fewer new products made it into the grocery channel than the prior year, driven by reductions in general merchandise and more specifically, greeting cards (717 fewer products).

When general merchandise is excluded, there were 9.5% fewer new products (however, general merchandise still featured the largest number of new products this past year in actual terms: 3,324 followed by snacks with 2,175).

While limited by cabinet space,

distribution (+6.6%) across the 16 measured departments, which, combined with strong innovation performance has made it the fastest growth category on a percentage basis (+7.3% or +$61.1 million).

Breaking down frozen innovation,

the frozen department managed to grow the number of new products taken on by grocery stores compared with the previous year (+151), with new products making up 25% of all products within this department.

Frozen also gained the most

the frozen snacks category drove the highest share of range growth, with 69.7% more products. This helped to deliver 24.3% value growth to the segment.

SPOTLIGHT ON CHOCOLATE New product innovation is essential in driving incremental sales in certain categories, and this is particularly evident in chocolate, which grew at $13.4 million (+3.8%) in 2018.

New chocolate products delivered almost three times that into the category – a whopping $33.1 million.

When we look at new product speed-to-market within chocolate, we can see the first three weeks as critical in driving sales, rapidly ramping up and exceeding 90% numeric distribution by week two.

The hype and support behind new chocolate launches often result in indulgent treats dominating our top new products, as shoppers demonstrate their desire to try new things.

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KEY TRENDS HARNESSED

2018 has been a great year for successful innovation that appeals to multi-faceted needs.

Shoppers responded positively when introduced to new products, whether they are completely new propositions or extensions of established favourites into new flavours, formats or categories. The concept of ‘Wellness’ has become

mainstream, and we are selectatarian by human nature as we constantly make trade-off decisions (healthy vs. indulgence, sustainability vs. price vs. convenience). Experiences, wellness and so-called ‘clean lifers’ are just some of the key innovation trends in 2018 which are adding growth; we explore some examples below.

Experiences

Experimental flavour combinations enticing us to try

Preference for indulgence that offers something special, sophisticated and/or has premium appeal.

Whittaker’s Dark Salted Caramel block was the top performing chocolate in value while only being in-market 20 weeks, with Häagen-Dazs delivering the most value growth in ice cream after 54 weeks in-market. Griffins Toffee Pops Caramelised White Chocolate (in-market 15 weeks) was the top performing new product in biscuits (value).

Category blurring ‘dessertification’

Treats have become desserts in their own right, such as Ben & Jerry’s not just delivering ice-cream, but a full-on dessert experience via Half Baked Choc Chip Cookie Dough (second fastest growing brand, in-market 96 weeks).

More than 60% of 18 to 44 year olds want exotic and interesting flavour choices (IRI State of the Industry Survey 09/18), such as Whittaker’s Artisan Marlborough Sea Salt and Caramel Brittle with Saffron (seventh best new chocolate product in value).

Restaurant inspired Copper Kettle Special Reserve Slow Roasted Pork Belly and Mustard Jus and Copper Kettle Special Reserve Sea Salt and Black Truffle chips drove strong results (sixth and tenth best performing new snackfoods products respectively in value). We are also seeing Kiwis be more adventurous when it comes to speciality cheese which is growing at +8.3%.

Winning brand collaborations driving innovation

Entertaining at home as an essential part of Kiwi culture

Collaborations are driving consumer engagement, with the top two performing products in ice cream - Tip Top Squiggles Ice Cream (50 weeks) and Fruju L&P Ice Blocks. Fruju L&P Ice Blocks was the third top new product in convenience channels. Oreo’s extension into Oreo’s Cadbury Chocolate Coated biscuits was the second best performing new product in biscuits.

Beyond BBQ’s, an emergent theme is the antipasto platter driving premiumisation and growth across grocery. We are also seeing diversified finger food options, with different ethnic products such as dumplings at +$5 million, driven largely by Kungfood – the second largest new grocery manufacturer.

Personal identity is also the heart of entertaining

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Making sure you look great, your home looks great, and your values are being projected has never been more important to New Zealand shoppers. This is not only true from the perspective of the impression you give visitors to your home, but also ensuring you’re photo-ready for the wider world – for social media.

Adding ambience to your home has proven a priority (Essano Candles and

Brands leveraging category ‘extensions’

Brands are taking advantage of their equity to encourage loyal buyers to try new categories and formats, such as M&Ms moving into blocks, which delivered $5.5 million in its first 14 weeks. In addition, Cadbury Moro (18 weeks, second best value contributor in chocolate) and Cadbury Dream Oreo (43 weeks, fifth value contributor in chocolate) also saw strong growth by simply moving into new blocks formats.

Magnum introduced a new format by moving into tubs, which was the second highest new brand performer in ice cream (36 weeks).

Reed Diffusers grew $1 million in 50-57 weeks) while showcasing your support of social causes via great looking hand wash such as Thankyou (second new non-food manufacturer this year in value) has become a growth area.

WELLNESS & ‘CLEAN LIFERS’

Wellness is a major growth lever that’s driving categories to new levels. While the yoghurt category has delivered $10.8 million value growth, new products added a significant $27.4 million. This contribution was driven primarily by Greek and protein

yoghurt introductions, with Kalo a standout new entrant this year at +$6.6 million over 46 weeks. Chilled juice and drinks were driven by fermented Kombucha, which grew at +$10.3 million and added 45 new products added this year.

Elimination and exclusion is driving growth in gluten-free, dairy-free and flexitarian through new innovation Dairy-free yoghurt was worth $56k in 2014 and has now rocketed to $14.6 million in 2018. Dairy-free cheese in 2017 delivered $580K in sales but climbed to $2.6 million this year. Sunfed Chicken Free Chicken Chunks was the top performing frozen snacks and accompaniments product worth $920K over 58 weeks.

Summit Low Carb, the top performing new product and contributor to sales growth in alcohol, with $3.3 million growth over 52 weeks.

Ingredient belief influences purchasing Turmeric continues to be a highlight, with supplements up $3.7 million across grocery and pharmacy off the back of 149% growth in product count. This also continued to push strong sales across food and beverage products throughout grocery, with matcha another new watch-out ingredient.

Wellbeing is shaping liquor choices The emergence of low alcohol and alcoholfree options in beer has seen Heineken 0.0 a significant riser in its first four weeks of market entry. The rise of healthier liquor attributes such as low carb, is also evidenced by Speight’s

CONSIDERATIONS

• How does your brand communicate premium elements and how does this resonate with shoppers?

• Are there healthy or social attributes in your products that you can leverage in your communication?

Growing awareness of what we put onto our skin Natural and organic have enjoyed 33% growth in the number of products available in-store. Earthwise leveraged this as the number one growth manufacturer in personal care, driven by their Glow Lab range ($3.2 million over 49 weeks). There has also been a lot of natural and organic innovation across personal care categories – such as in hair care (Herbal Essences biorenew) and toothpaste.

Shoppers are concerned about their impact on the world around them, with household environmental products becoming more important with new risers Seventh Generation and Living Green two new brands to watch out for.

A combination of quality-conscious, natural and premium themes as well as strong visual cues have worked well in a number of categories such as nappies with Rascal+Friends the top new manufacturer delivering $6.5 million in 52 weeks.

• Do you call out the absence or reduction of unhealthy attributes?

• Are there opportunities to include limited editions or rotational flavours?

• Can you think of partners you could collaborate with?

• Are there categories that your brand could

expand into? Or different formats that you can apply to your brand?

• How are you actively increasing your presence in-store and on-pack to disrupt and engage shoppers?

• How quickly does your company adapt to changing consumer preferences and needs?

FOOTNOTE: Unless otherwise stated all data is IRI MarketEdge MAT data to 16/09/18 in Grocery.

IRI is a leading provider of big data, predictive analytics and forward-looking insights that help CPG companies, OTC health care organisations, retailers, financial services and media companies grow their businesses. With the largest repository of purchase, media, social, casual, and loyalty data, all integrated on an on-demand, cloud-based technology platform, IRI helps to guide its more than 5,000 clients around the world in their efforts to remain relentlessly relevant, capture market share, connect with consumers and deliver market-leading growth. Move your business forward IRIworldwide.com

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SUSTAINABLE TRENDS

Earthwise has had a phenomenal year, ramping up its sustainability journey, launching further innovation and designing a new look for personal care brand Earthwise Nourish. The number one environmental household cleaning brand in the New Zealand grocery – Earthwise, is introducing a minimum of 75 percent recycled plastic sourced from milk, water and juice bottles across its environmental household cleaning range by mid-2019.

Its 1L Laundry Liquid and new look Dishwash 400ml and 750ml bottles made from 75 percent recycled plastic are already hitting supermarket shelves. Earthwise Nourish bottles will also move to 100 percent recycled plastic next year. With 56 percent of consumers believing environmentally friendly household product packaging is important in their purchasing decision, Earthwise thinks “it’s important to be part of the solution, not the problem.”

The company has also pledged support for local and global plastic packaging commitments to have 100 percent of its packaging recyclable,

reusable or compostable by 2025 or earlier. To meet the demand for consumers looking for natural, safe and affordable alternatives, Earthwise has expanded its environmental offer on shelf with the launch of two new Toilet Cleaners that kill up to 99.9 percent of germs and a Cream Scourer - a gentle but effective alternative. Personal care brand Earthwise Nourish, worth $5m +34.8 percent MAT*, relaunched its shampoo and conditioner range with a new look salon-style cylinder bottle and added Anti-Dandruff and Volumizing shampoo and conditioner lines to the haircare range.

The brand moved into hair treatments in April, with the launch of a Leave-in Treatment and Hair Mask to drive incremental value sales within the category. Earthwise Nourish Haircare growth has accelerated as a result with value sales +21 percent latest QTR. Nourish also launched a new Rosehip and Almond Oil Handwash across two size formats, and a Body Scrub. For more information visit www.earthwise. co.nz or phone 0800 3278 49473

* MAT Total NZ Grocery value sales to 21/10/18

NUTS ABOUT HEALTH

Nuts continue to stay foremost in consumer’s minds as a healthy food choice; whether due to the halo of paleo or low carb in the ketogenic diet, flexitarian or vegan lifestyle choices, the popularity and sales of nuts continues to grow.

SURVEY IMAGE

A focus on natural foods, health and wellness, awareness and focus on the individual consumer footprint are all set to continue to grow into 2019.

The year on year growth in the Snack Nuts category continues, a strong 12 months of growth resulting in positive +8.8 percent in dollar sales (MAT to the 28/10/18). What is incredibly exciting to see is Mother Earth has been driving the category growth with +48.2 percent for the same period.

Prolife believe this reflects the

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strength the Mother Earth brand and product has in the market. 2018 saw the launch of Pistachios 140g into Mother Earth’s nut classics pouch range and the expansion of the On the Go range with a wider variety of single-serve nut snacking.

OWNED

DOLLARS GROWTH

Prolife thinks the biggest challenge in the supermarket for snack nuts is the retail space required to support the next level of growth, innovation and new products into what continues

to be a very tight, space-constrained category.

For more information contact Prolife Foods at 07 959 0904 or visit www.prolifefoods.co.nz.

BUY ONE, PLANT ONE

The word Grounded describes someone who understands what’s really important in life and makes good decisions – making it the perfect name for a modern coffee brand on a mission to ensure a brighter future.

Launched just over a year ago, New Zealand owned and operated brand - Grounded Responsible Coffee - has gone from strength to strength, tripling the size of its range, undergoing triple digit growth and rolling out innovations almost monthly.

Today’s younger coffee customer has grown up in cafes, with mobile phones and social media, during a time of global awareness and concern for the health of the planet. Grounded is

designed to resonate with them. It’s well known trees are vital to a healthier planet, cleaner air and brighter future, so tree-planting is a high priority for Grounded Responsible Coffee.

So much so, that they have just launched a ground-breaking new initiative Buy One, Plant One. For every pack of coffee purchased, Grounded will plant a tree, in collaboration with two long-established organisations who have been bringing about positive change through treeplanting for decades – one local, one global.

All Grounded coffee is certified Organic, Fairtrade and Climate Neutral. Being Climate Neutral means

SPREADING GROWTH WITH INNOVATION T&G Global, one of the largest produce companies in New Zealand, created a buzz in 2018 with a refresh of its bee-pollinated brand Beekist into new sustainable packaging and with the continued success of its award-winning, lower-carb Lotatoes. Beekist had a packaging makeover with cardboard replacing plastic punnets in September. It will remove 5.5 million plastic punnets from supermarket shelves or 100 tonnes less plastic that Kiwis take home every year. The move to more sustainable punnets is part of the company’s focus on innovation, its commitment to the environment and the belief that the less tinkering you do to Mother Nature, the better. “Consumer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive particularly via social media channels, our main promotional platform,” said Michelle Singh, NZ marketing manager.

“The great news is that consumers can get high-quality, sweet, great tasting tomatoes and also know that they are taking the sting out of the environment when they buy our tomatoes.” Beekist has a wide range currently on offer including Angel, Tasty Mix, Jellybean, Melody, Heritage, Farmers Harvest, Sunshine Mix, Chefs Selection and the new Kumato. The award-winning, lower carb and lower calorie Lotatoes, launched by T&G in 2017, scooped multiple local and international awards in 2018 including the hotly contested TVNZ–NZ Marketing Awards. Lotatoes, up against other high-profile brands, also took out the Best Marketing on a Shoestring Budget category at the New Zealand Marketing awards.

The brand also won the Health & Wellness Category at the UK- based 2018 Gama Innovation Awards held in Manchester in October and the PMA Australia-New Zealand 2018 Marketer of the Year Award for its Lotatoes campaign in June. Singh said the wins were another fantastic accolade for Lotatoes which has already won four major awards since launching in 2017, “Lotatoes has struck the right chord with a growing number of people interested in their health and wellbeing but wanting the same great taste afforded by an everyday potato.

They’ve taken the country by storm, and we’re thrilled to be recognised in New Zealand, Australia and the UK.” The Lotatoes and Beekist marketing campaigns were led by T&G’s marketing team with support from Tenfold Creative, plus strong PR and social media activity from T&G’s internal marketing and PR team, and The PR Shop. Expect more brand innovation from the team at T&G Global over the next 12 months.

For more information visit www.tandg.global/ or phone 09 573 8700.

all greenhouse gas emissions from crop to cup are ‘neutralised’, planting trees at origin in Peru which provides additional income for coffee farmers, and in New Zealand. The Grounded team recently spent the day planting in Warkworth, helping create a nature corridor that will protect wildlife and waterways.

The Grounded range consists of delicious modern blends such as; Kickstarter, #time2shine and the newly launched Good Vibes. And are avaliable in a range of sizes - 200g packs of whole beans, espresso grind and plunger grind, coffee capsules, and the new 800g Kickstarter whole beans.

It also recently launched an initiative called the Grounded Return and Recycle Program. All Grounded packaging can be returned free of charge to be given a second life through their partnership with recycling leaders TerraCycle – becoming items like playground equipment, park benches or outdoor tables. The future looks bright - with sales more than doubling the latest quarter prior (IRI data to Nov 18), over 10,000 trees planted, targeting one million trees planted in four years, and more initiatives on the way. To find out more visit www.groundedcoffee.co.nz, email letschat@groundedcoffee.co.nz or call 09 356 4625.

A GLOWING YEAR

Glow Lab - a natural skincare brand with a difference, is on track to be the number one natural skincare brand in New Zealand grocery. The brand’s unique proposition - natural skincare that works, boosted with scientifically proven ingredients delivers the efficacy consumers crave from natural skincare. Glow Lab is resonating with consumers, achieving 21% value share of the natural skincare category since its launch 12 months ago, delivering incremental sales.

The brand is also the fastest growing natural skincare brand in the latest quarter in NZ Grocery. Off the back of this success, the brand expanded its footprint, doubling the skincare range with the introduction of facial masks, toner, body lotion and hand cream, and launched into two additional categories - Haircare and Personal Care. The Glow Lab shampoo and conditioner range all carry hard claims resulting in a clear point of difference in the natural haircare market.

Glow Lab received a nomination for New Product Development Of The Year Award at the 2018 Countdown supplier awards, identified as delivering incremental sales and true innovation to the category, it also recently won the Best Emerging Brand at the TVNZ-NZ Marketing Awards.

For more information visit www.glowlab.co.nz or phone 0800 3278 49473

* MAT Total NZ Grocery value sales to end Sept 18 December/January 2019

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marketreport KEEPING FAMILIES SAFE

As the weather warms up, flies and other insects become more active around the country – much to the annoyance of anyone with an open window. However, flies can be more than just an irritant and can play a major role in spreading sickness. Flies land on anything and everything, which means they are fantastic carriers of faecal matter, harmful bacteria and organisms that cause disease.

While most would turn to fly spray, the idea of spraying a dwelling with poison does not appeal to a growing number of consumers, especially those with young children. D2K has a range of non-toxic fly traps which are just as effective as fly spray and do not leave any poison, odour or wasteful aerosol cans behind. D2K’s Non-Toxic Fly Trap Bag contains a small water-soluble bait. The flies are lured by the bait, crawl into the fly trap and cannot get out.

They then drown in the water enzymes solution which digests the fly, adding to the bait. This increases the capacity of the trap attracting more flies and creating a continuous cycle. It can catch up to 10,000 flies. The Clear Window Fly trap is an effective and environmentally adapted fly trapping solution. The non-toxic, odourless and transparent trap be placed discreetly at the bottom of a window and silently attracts flies for 24 hours a day.

Flying insects thrive in commercial kitchens, and business owners can protect their customers from the spread of bacteria by installing a BRC Insect Glue Board Light or Electric Insect Zapper. With its innovative design and translucent coloured surface, the Flybox colour turns the insect trap into a decorating accessory.

The UV light bulbs can last up to 8000 hours. These products are designed for use both indoors and outdoors, meaning that as well as being a reactive measure, they are also a preventative measure. They provide an environment free of irritating flying insects through non-toxic, odourless and transparent solutions.

For more information call 0800 ALPECO (257 326)

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ANTIPASTO TRENDS

With IRI forecasting the continued growth of the antipasto platter, premiumisation and growth across the grocery sector is set to charge ahead.

This is primarily due to the growing trend of social media and photofriendly grazing platters that have caught the attention of millennials.

Nevertheless, the social media trend has had a positive impact on the supermarket sector with consumers seeking more authentic and highquality deli products to make their platters stand out. New Zealand supermarket’s deli sections have undergone a transformation in recent years with the category continuing to

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expand in store. Traditional imported meats are always high on the list for any antipasto platter, as are authentic cheeses and unique artisanal offerings.

European imported products give customers a truly authentic experience when creating a platter. An example of authentic antipasto offerings is found in Ghiotti.

The brand offers an authentic range of high-quality meat and cheese products as well as olives and grissini.

No platter is complete without a cheesy offering, and Ghiotti features only the best-imported cheeses from Europe such as Cherry Mozzarella, Gorgonzola Piccante, Greek Feta, Vallego and Cabrito. In addition to its extensive range of delicious cheeses the brand also offers Cheesy Bites a unique product that adds an extra cheesy crunch to any platter.

For more information contact European Foods on 09 551 7410 or visit www.europeanfood.co.nz.

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EQUIPPING RETAILERS

NZ Retail Equipment has been offering retail, wholesale and logistics solutions to customers around New Zealand and the Pacific for more than two decades. Managing director Jeremy Livingston purchased the business from founder Kevin Rowe earlier in 2018 and continues to grow the business across the country.

As the company has expanded, so too has its range of solution-driven products. From retail and stock trolleys, hand baskets, shelving and merchandising displays, NZ Retail Equipment supplies a range of products to help its customers achieve their retail goals. The company began in the 1990s and is the leading supplier of trolleys to New Zealand retailers. They holds the distribution contract with Wanzl, the world’s largest manufacturer of shopping trolleys. A global leader in retail equipment supply, Wanzl produces around two million trolleys annually. “The innovation coming out of Germany is amazing,” Livingston explained. “At the Wanzl headquarters, they have floors and floors of new retail solutions.”

Over the years, NZ Retail Equipment has supplied tens of thousands of products into grocery, retail, DIY and service industry

sectors. “We supply trolleys to all the major retail and DIY players in New Zealand - Foodstuffs, The Warehouse, Briscoes, Bunnings and Mitre 10. We supply shelving systems to Foodstuffs and the oil channel as well as industry showrooms. In the coming year, we are looking at expanding our shelving footprint as well as increasing our focus on non-retail trolleys and our food processing equipment range.”

In addition, the company works with large retail partners to assist them in managing their equipment supply chains from logistics through to installation, making use of NZ Retail Equipment’s extensive knowledge of the retail equipment space.

For more information email Jeremy at j.livingston@nzretailequipment.co.nz or phone 09 262 3044.

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What was your highlight of 2018 and what are your predictions for 2019?

“2018 saw us launch our new Shenley Station blue cheese with a newly discovered blue mould found in a farmer’s hay bale. 2019 will see a greater sustainable packaging and food presented with a sustainable focus, moving more to naturally produced products from sustainable sources.”

Simon Berry Whitestone Cheese Co.

“2019 will continue to draw attention to the shifting views of New Zealand shoppers with a growing demand for eco-friendly, healthy and consciously made products to be made readily available.

As for highlights for Forty Thieves in 2018, these include growing our production team, continued expansion across Foodstuffs stores around New Zealand and winning a Gold medal with our Salted Macadamia with Maple & Vanilla at the NZ Outstanding Food Producers Awards.”

Shyr Gelber Forty Thieves

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“Our prediction for 2019 is the rapid rise of flexitarianism, as reducing the intake of animal products becomes widely accepted as the environmentally responsible thing to do. Angel Food’s highlight of 2018 was supplying our dairy-free mozzarella alternative to Dominos - because it is such a good fit with our aim to make vegan food mainstream.”

Alice Shopland Angel Food

“When looking back at 2018, I am impressed by the array of shopper marketing campaigns we have seen supported by both New World and Countdown. Two particularly stand out for me. In August, we saw the addition of promotional merchandise, a limited-edition wine glass, to the annual “Selak’s Roast Day” campaign. Although the campaign with the greatest impact would be the launch of M&M Block Chocolate. For four weeks the entire Mars team ensured no shopper would miss this launch. An outstanding achievement in a high engagement and activity category.

What am I expecting to see in 2019? A continuing battle for shopper visits, led by both Countdown and New World. With relatively new brand positionings in place, I am looking forward to seeing this come to life in the store environment. Taking a broader category growth perspective, I will be observing the role hemp seeds play in providing an alternative method to fortify foods and drive health claims in New Zealand. Which suppliers are ready and able to lead this next change?”

Neill Arnold, Big River Solutions

GIVING BACK TO CUSTOMERS, COMMUNITY AND THE PLANET “It’s been another stellar year for our cooperatives and brands, with a long list of achievements and accolades that again show the strength of what we do for our shoppers and the wider community.

Dom Quin

Group GM Marketing Manager, Foodstuffs NZ

On perhaps the basic measure of all – money – both cooperatives’ books stayed in a healthy state, with the North Island recording revenue of $6.6 billion and operating profit of $210 million, and the South Island reporting revenue of over $3 billion and operating profit of $293 million. More important was what we did with that, in terms of pouring it back into our communities – more than $2.5 million worth of sausages, sports uniforms, gift cards, defibrillators, hampers, hangi and bananas.

Our donations to Starship Hospital reached the $1 million mark – through a variety of initiatives including the annual New World sausage sizzle – and all within four years of New World signing up as a five-star sponsor of the Starship Foundation.

Our Food for Thought programme celebrated educating 150,000 students since its formation a decade ago – that’s a lot of growing minds now equipped with the knowledge to make healthy choices, not just for themselves but their families too.

At the same time, our stores donated more than 5.6 million meals to food rescue groups, and we also invested in Eat My Lunch, helping it towards its goal of giving lunch to 25,000 children per day. We continued to build on our sustainability measures: helping customers make the transition away

from single use plastic bags at checkout by giving away millions of reusables; introducing a ban on plastic-stemmed cotton buds and rolling out our Food in the Nude misting system for fresh produce.

More of our stores switched over to electric vehicles, getting their own electric vans to make deliveries or installing EV fast-chargers in their carparks, and for those still driving with petrol we teamed up with Z Energy to offer a uniquely Kiwi collaboration that’s ensuring our customers can still earn fuel discounts as they shop and now enjoy the wider Z retail network and customer experience.

At the brand level, Four Square North Island was named AON Employer of the Year, New World won the Canstar Award for “Most Satisfied Supermarket”, we won countless awards for research, insights

and New World Little Garden, and PAK’nSAVE’s Stickman turned 10 – who’d have thought a stick figure could last so long in the brutal world of advertising.

Finally, at the regional HQ level, FSSI won the CILT Award for innovation in transport and logistics and continued to work with Synlait as they gear up to launch their joint supply of private label milk from next March; while FSNI was named retail Employer of the Year and successfully sold its iconic Roma Road site – for yes, $93 million – and announced its move to a new site at Auckland Airport in 2020.

All of which is just a fraction of the news we shared in 2018. So a big year, yes, but we’re already looking ahead to the next and beyond, especially 2022, when we’ll celebrate 100 Years of Four Square with a bang.”

Our donations to Starship Hospital reached the $1 million mark – through a variety of initiatives including the annual New World sausage sizzle – and all within four years of New World signing up as a five-star sponsor of the Starship Foundation.

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Full Flavours

Grow your premium tea sales with an exciting new range from Red Seal.

New Red Seal Infusions features six exceptional blends with on-trend ingredients including turmeric, matcha and coconut. Generously cut, quality ingredients are in compostable pyramid teabags, which provide the perfect amount of space to infuse and release its full flavour. To maximise this great opportunity and drive sales, make sure to support Red Seal Infusions in store. For more information contact Endeavour Consumer Health Ltd on 09 415 3267.

Innovatiove Apple Juice Innovative new apple beverage brand ‘The Apple Press’ has taken the supermarket chiller by storm.

The Apple Press is on a mission to share the pleasure of drinking a Hawke’s Bay apple with the world.

Hand-picked and cold pressed Hawke’s Bay apples by variety; Royal Gala, Jazz, Braeburn, Pink Lady and Envy, with no added sugar and no preservative. The Apple Press range also includes specific apple varieties paired with other delicious fruits like Valencia

Pulpy Orange, Hawkes Bay Pear and NZ Feijoa and it has recently launched a wellness range with deliciously good ingredients such as Lime, Ginger and Manuka Honey, Apple Cider Vinegar and Canterbury Beetroot.

For more information visit applepress.co.nz, contact hello@theapplepress.co.nz or phone 0800 LOVE APPLES.

Cherry Cheese

To celebrate 10 years in business, Clevedon Buffalo Co has launched a new Cherry Buffalo Mozzarella. A sister product to Clevedon Buffalo Co.’s popular existing buffalo mozzarella balls, the cherry buffalo mozzarella has a soft but resilient interior and beautiful ‘pop’ of the skin, much like a grape. Presented in brine, these tasty mini morsels of cheese are made from fresh buffalo milk, free of preservatives and are dispatched on the same day they’re manufactured. The cherry buffalo mozzarella is ideal for adding a simple, but an exquisite touch to a meal. There has also been a fresh update in the range’s packaging, with a new logo and a clean, crisp look reflecting the brand values of this premium, ever-growing line of products. For more information visit www. clevedonbuffalo.co.nz.

A Delicious Journey

At Yalumba, the team believe that one good wine leads to another. The Y Series was created with that belief in mind. The range represents a collection of iconic classics and exciting new varietals, each authentically crafted from fruit grown in South Australia’s most celebrated wine regions. The vegan-friendly, wild fermented, Yalumba Y Series Rosé is bright and refreshing with layers of rhubarb, blood orange and strawberries and cream. Sophisticated with a dry finish of zesty acidity, the Y Series Rosé is perfect for every summer party. For more information contact Negociants on 0800 634 624 or email us at ordersnz@negociants.com.

A Hole New Look

After 22 years of history and owning 95 percent of the market Abe’s has decided to update its packaging. The packaging is bolder with an element of humour. Abe’s believes the packaging will be much more eye catching on shelf. Customers can be assured the bagels will still have the same great taste and texture. Abe’s Bagels would love to hear from you, so please contact them via customer services on 09 527 3736 or visit Abes.co.nz.

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Food For Thought

Thinkfood Munch is an artisan-crafted range of nut and seed clusters that deliver amazing taste and wholefood nutrition. Munch is simple clusters of slow dry roasted nut and seeds with some containing berry fruit. Relying on the inherent goodness and flavours of nuts and seeds, the recipes are simple with artificial additives and preservatives banned from the kitchen. They are not high in sugar and are made using traditional methods.

Nuts present a calorie problem if they’re oil roasted or highly processed – Munch is neither. They offer the perfect balance of sweet and savoury, and the ones containing berry offer a little more sweetness for those with a sweeter tooth.

Free From Pita

Naturally Wood Smoked

Keeping up with consumer trends, Giannis have added a new Gluten Free Pita Bread to its range. It is a wonderful product that has a delicious taste and texture that performs as a pita should. Launched in May, retailer and consumer uptake and feedback has been excellent and with the Gluten Free segment now a significant piece of the bread category, Giannis are pleased to be able to offer a Gluten Free Pita option to the market. For ranging enquiries contact sales manager Simon Rangihaeata on 021 854 091 or email at simon@giannis.co.nzt.

Farmland Foods have launched a new Thin Sliced European Streaky Bacon to the New Zealand market. Farmlands Thin Slice European Bacon is different from the rest – being thinly sliced it’s very convenient and quick to grill or fry to perfection. It’s also natural wood smoked, gluten-free and 100 percent sugar-free.

Feedback from large marketing campaigns is proving it’s a hit with consumers. They love the taste, the ease of use and the multiple fresh packs within each carton. Available in easy to display 250g, 500g and 875g boxes each containing convenient individually sealed portion packs, there is always the perfect amount ready to go. For more information call 0800 806 328 or email info@flf.nz.

Goodness Me!

Natural Strength

Grin’s 100% Natural Strengthening Toothpaste contains three key active ingredients designed to combat bacteria, strengthen and remineralise teeth. Hydroxyapatite is a naturally occurring mineral form of calcium apatite and is the main mineral that dental enamel is made of. It is the best alternative to fluoride and has been proven to provide the necessary minerals to remineralise subsurface areas of the tooth, restoring the enamel to its near natural state, without changing the composition of the enamel. Magnolia bark extract helps to control oral bacteria growth, and organic sea salt helps to maintain good oral balance. When used regularly, Grin 100% Natural Strengthening Toothpaste can aid in the natural remineralisation of tooth enamel, assisting in repairing micro lesions, reducing plaque build-up, whitening enamel and reducing hypersensitivity. To place your order, contact your local Centurion rep.

Goodness me, that’s crispy as. The team at GoodnessMe have been busy searching the globe for the best ingredients, the newest ideas and the most passionate people to add to its range of great tasting products.

The brand is excited to launch a new range of Crispy Rice Rounds made with wholegrain brown rice. Crispy, tasty and packed full of goodness they are delicious alone or with any of your favourite toppings. For further information contact your Acorn Group representative.

Pure Passion Cow To Cone

Nelson company Appleby Farms has launched onto the premium ice-cream scene with an emphasis on its cow-to-cone philosophy. Appleby Farms has taken the whole ice-cream process and turned it into a labour of love. No fake tastes and textures, just hand-crafted ice creams that satisfy sensory cravings. Appleby Farms use the milk from its herd of A2 cows in Nelson. It heads straight from the milking shed into its new creamery 15-minutes down the road. The ingredients that are used are sourced from local growers and partners, and a portion of the profit is reinvested in sustainable farming practices and environmental projects in the region. The new range includes Bedford Vanilla Bean, Brown Eyed Girl, Doubleshot Ipanema and Bad Boys and Berries. For more information contact Andrew Gray on rew@applebyfarms.co.nz or call 027 348 3738.

For over 20 years pure delish has worked hard creating a range of delicious products handmade by its own team of passionate foodies. Pure delish launched its delicious new Passion and Coconut Bites in June 2018. A mouth-watering combination of only six real ingredients with the tang of real passionfruit. Made from 66 percent almonds and free-from grains, gluten and dairy, pure delish knew its new offering would have great appeal with consumers. Handmade by the talented pure delish baking team, Passion and Coconut Bites make a delicious addition to the pure delish “bites’ family.

For more information contact Sophie at sophie@puredelish.co.nz.

Revitalising Cleanse

Swisspers has introduced two new SKUs to its range of facial wipes. Swisspers Cleansing Facial Wipes with Micellar and Coconut Water is the perfect duo that leaves all skin types feeling as pure as fresh coconut. These facial wipes combine micellar and coconut water to quickly remove makeup and environmental grime. Also added to the range are Swisspers Cleansing Facial Wipes with Coconut Oil that gently remove even the most long-wearing makeup while also nourishing the skin. Both are available in single packs of 25 wipes. For more information contact Matt Little at James Crisp on 09 309 0802.

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storeofthemonth COUNTDOWN BOTANY DOWNS Countdown Botany is Eddie Chandra’s tenth store in a career that spans 27 years. At age 15, Chandra started his supermarket career at Foodtown Otahuhu as a part-time worker.

“After looking for a job at age 14 and ten months, they said the day you turn 15 grab some black pants and a tie and get to work, and that’s how it all started.”

C

handra continued in this role right through school, working in all of the supermarket departments which sparked an interest in him. After high school Chandra venture onto university where he gained a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Commerce. “In between studying I had some really good store managers who were happy to help work around my classes, so I continued until I finished university when I was offered an opportunity to join the managerial training programme, and I have never looked back.”

The retail side of things is what Chandra describes as the original drawcard to the industry, having the opportunity to work across a range of different departments. “Back in the 90’s there weren’t many management training programme, and if you were good enough, you got hand-picked to go and give it a try.”

Chandra described one of his career highlights as being offered that spot in the Countdown managerial programme. “I said to myself if I am going to make a career out of this then it has to be as a store manager.”

Getting his first store at Foodtown Blockhouse Bay was another highlight that came early into his career.

“I really enjoyed working at the Blockhouse Bay store, it was a lot of fun.” As for his proudest moment in the store, it was being able to take it to the next level, concerning sales. “We are all given targets to meet and also have internal competitions with some of the stores nearby. At the moment sales are up, and we are exceeding our targets every week.”

He sees the biggest growth opportunities as an industry as being in the career progression that Countdown offers. “Gone are the days when a career in the supermarket industry was seen as a stepping stone for high school dropouts. Now the packages offered by Countdown from entry-level to managerial are really competitive, and you can really make a long term career out of it.” As for supermarket categories, Chandra names health food as the biggest opportunity.

“In this day and age, we need to offer our customers more lower-sugar and free-from alternatives.” He goes as far to say that healthier alternatives should be positioned throughout the store especially when crossmerchandising at aisle ends.

The grocery industry doesn’t come without its challenges, and for Countdown Botany it’s their competition with other supermarkets directly across the road. “You’ve got to be on your A game constantly.

We are open 7am to midnight, seven days a week so we have an advantage after 10pm as we are the only store that is open. So that’s our point of difference.”

Merchandising is another key focus for Chandra and the team. He believes that it’s important and Countdown encourages it in all stores. “Coming into Christmas, and during other seasonal times especially, it is a busy time, and cross-merchandising is key. You

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want to see your pavlovas with your passionfruit and hams with all your condiments. It’s important to get those out where customers can easily find them.”

At Countdown Botany, the team cater to three types of customers. These are the brick and mortar customer, the online customer and trade customers. “I think we are the biggest store to do trade out of the Countdown stores.” As for innovations, the online world is still winning the race. Countdown Botany offers customers both the pick-up option as well as online grocery. “We are full service here at Countdown Botany, and the online department is growing which is really good.”

Countdown Botany officially launched its online store in October 2017, and since then the platform has been continuing to grow week-on-week.

The phase-out of single-use plastic bags was a significant change for the team at Countdown Botany.

“From the eighth of October we had completely phased out single-use plastic bags.” The ousting was a challenge for the first few pilot stores, but ultimately it was a smooth transition. “I’ve probably had one customer out of 19,000 who was looking for a single-use plastic bag while the rest have embraced it.” A reduction in plastic packaging is what’s in store next for the team with the bakery section and produce department the first to undergo the change.

Food waste is another important issue facing the industry. Countdown Botany has zero tolerance when it comes to food waste and has initiatives in place to combat the problem. “Waste Management has a separate bin for produce waste, and we also donate to local pig farms.”

The team at Countdown Botany work hard within its local community getting involved with local schools’ sports days and church events. “We give the left over bread and pastries from the bakery to local churches in the area rather than dumping it. We feel as though donating it instead of adding to landfill is the right thing to do.” The team donates food to four churches in the community as well as the local Salvation Army and Auckland City Mission.

Chandra credits the Botany community as being one of the secrets to the store’s success. Countdown Botany has a number of schools surrounding it which creates a great sense of community. The store’s customers are very loyal, with the college’s students and their families becoming store regulars. “By reviewing Onecard data, we can see how long people have been shopping with us. A large number of our customers here have been shopping here since 2003 when the store first opened.

It’s a very close-knit community.” Auckland’s Botany area has also seen a large amount of expansion in the

Footprint 5,491 m2

25,722 SKUs

Selling Area 4,016 m

Opening Date: March 2003

CHECKOUTS: 10 regular

OWNER OPERATOR:

2

9 self-service

EDDIE CHANDRA

115 staff

last few years, attracting new customers to the store.

Countdown Botany underwent a full refurb roughly two years ago. In the future, he hopes that Countdown Botany will continue to grow, possibly with the addition of a cellar section in store. “The store has a good turnover and nice look, so the addition of a cellar for the wine and beer section of the store would be a great addition.” The refurb and new store layout have helped to set Countdown Botany apart from its competitors with customers commenting on the openness and cleanliness of the store. “You have ample space to walk around and do your shopping. We are also able to offer a larger range of products to our customers which helps to set us apart.”

As for food categories in the supermarket, the food-to-go segment is continuing to grow. Countdown Botany already has a sushi bar and entertainment area but hopes to have more food-to-go offers available for summer. Locally made produce has also increased in popularity in recent years. The team at Countdown Botany try to stock as much locally made produce and products as it can. “Locally made produce and the health foods sector are probably the two biggest categories that we are looking at. We want to ensure that we are able to cater to the customer in these two segments.”

Wanting to personalise the shopping experience is a crucial focus for the team at Countdown Botany. The team uses Countdown’s Voice of the Customer online survey system to gain customer feedback on their instore experience, so they can make changes when they can. “The voice of the customer system is paramount to the business and a key focus for our team. Happy voice of the Customer, happy team; happy team, happy customer.” Countdown also uses Voice of the Team which focuses on how Countdown and the Countdown Botany team can help train and develop its staff to ensure customers have a pleasant experience in-store. Through the platform, customers can give feedback. The feedback is then categorised as either a ‘wow’ alert or ‘rescue’ alert when the customer hasn’t had a good experience. “With any negative alerts, we try to get the customer back in the store where we walk the floor with them and ask them what we can do or change to improve their shopping experience.”

Chandra believes his team of 115 is a large part of the reason for the store’s success. “If you have a happy team and give them clear directions and pathways as to where we want the store to head and where they as an individual can go, then I think everyone is on the same wavelength and therefore can run the store effectively.”

As Chandra said, communication is key to having a

happy team and successful store.

Mentoring younger staff is another focus at the Countdown Botany store. Chandra takes time to identify younger staff members who are excelling and could potentially have a career in the industry. “Some younger staff don’t know what they want to do when they are older, so its good to have a conversation. In my experience, three out of ten will make it.” Chandra will see that potential staff members are put onto the management training programme. “The stepping stone in Countdown is really good. They provide you with a lot of training and support to get to the next level.” Future goals for Countdown Botany focus on continued career progression for staff. In his time Chandra has seen a number of employees climb the ranks and he would like to see this continue.

Countdown Botany and the team are gearing up for the festive season with Christmas less than a month away. Every Christmas, the Countdown Botany staff invite the local schools’ musical groups to sing Christmas carols in the store. The store also partakes in ‘Countdown to Christmas’ during the month of December which sees the store decorated in a different theme every day. “What we try to do is get the community involved. We do a lot of giveaways and get involved with the local schools’ end of year events.” n

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f besto whattostock SUPERB HERB Fresh Flavours from New Zealand. As consumers demand freshness and authenticity in their food, Superb Herb is a must-have in the produce aisle.

Vibrant flavours, essential nutrients, texture, colour and amazing fragrance, they are sure to bring excitement to the home. And as if Superb Herbs range of over 25 varieties of fresh herbs was not enough, it also offers three leafy greens (Cress, Kale and Crazy Peas) and its brand-new babies – microgreens. The range is out just in time for Christmas and presented in a 100% sustainable pack. A Superb work.

Visit www.superbherb.co.nz for more information and recipe inspiration.

WAIMATA CHEESE Rapidly establishing itself as arguably one of the best cheeses in the market, Waimata Haloumi has been growing from strength to strength since its introduction in 2013. Made with cow’s milk and non-animal coagulant, this cheese is suitable for vegetarians and is best devoured pan-fried, barbecued or grilled. Haloumi is versatile, enjoyed on its’ own or accompanied with other foods, and once tasted there is no doubt consumers will become hooked. Waimata has received multiple awards for its haloumi, and was recently awarded a gold medal

at the NZSCA in 2018. Waimata’s range of haloumi includes its gold medal Traditional Haloumi, its mild, family-friendly gold medal Chilli Haloumi and delectable Cracked Pepper Haloumi.

Aroha is a range of craft sodas made at Waikirikiri farm in Canterbury. Aroha grow, juice and bottle the fruits and flowers in its drinks themselves creating one of New Zealand’s few true craft sodas. Single strength juices are used in the drinks giving a true to fruit flavour. People are getting tired of the trick big companies play when it comes to the word ‘natural’ and the word ‘craft’ and are looking for more legitimacy in products. Aroha takes pride in representing that legitimacy in its drinks.

Using heritage New Zealand fruits such as feijoa,

elderflower, quince and rhubarb, the Aroha range helps provide cafes and supermarkets with a refreshing point of difference.

For more information visit www.waimatacheese.co.nz or email info@waimatacheese.co.nz.

AROHA DRINKS

Contact mark@arohadrinks.com if you are interested to find out more.

WAHIKI COCONUT CREAMERY The people have spoken, and Wa-Hiki has snagged the People’s Choice Award at this year’s Auckland Business Awards. A considerable achievement considering it was the brand’s first ever entry. The little Kiwi start-up is making waves at home and abroad, where it recently signed a deal with Asia’s biggest childcare centre, catering to 20,000 enrolled children. Wa-Hiki’s ethos is to enjoy a guilt-free timeout with better-for-you ice cream that is low in sugar and calories while high in taste and texture. As New Zealand’s first and only certified gluten-free ice

cream, this vegan treat is on its way to cementing its Kiwi-favourite status, soaring with mums and bubs who want healthier alternatives.

For more information visit www.wahiki.co.nz phone 0800 924 454 or email at info@wahiki.co.nz

CASSELS AND SONS BREWING CO. Cassels recently launched its Lucky 6 range, a mixed pack of six 328ml bottles. The pack contains five of the brews from its core range and a ‘special release’ of its popular Lager, that normally can only be purchased on tap. Since launching Lucky 6, the mixed pack has become one of the brands fastest moving packaged beer products in Supermarkets.

This will be the third release and has been a powerful marketing tool to create awareness of the Cassels & Sons range of bottled beers. This Christmas Cassels will also release a very limited

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edition 4-pack which includes four beer styles from its 518ml bottle range. The pack has been created as a Christmas offering, the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys premium craft beer.

Please contact Cassels & Sons Brewing Co. on 0800 667789 or email beerorders@casselsbrewery.co.nz.

WHEN ‘GOOD SERVICE’ IS NO LONGER GOOD ENOUGH At New World Brookfield we are, and have always been, focused on the customer experience.

In fact our vision is to be “famous for the experience our people create”.

Brendon Good

Owner-Operator New World Brookfield, Tauranga

The trick is to keep up with the things that are important to modern shoppers; things that directly affect the emotions they feel while spending their time under our roof.

The main point I’d make is that offering just “good service” is no longer good enough – simply because in the modern consumer era almost every supermarket has that! Instead, you must

exceed customers’ expectations, so they leave feeling appreciated and tell their friends and family how enjoyable it is to shop with you.

Because of that, we’re always looking for innovative ways to delight our customers while interacting with the team: our checkout team have rubber stamps for kids (unicorns, rainbows, etc) and wrap every bottle of wine in newspaper; we give Gold Card holders a $5 cafe voucher if they shop with us on Tuesdays; and our veteran trolley man Jeff is famous for helping customers put their shopping in the car.

Freshness is a major factor driving modern buying decisions too.

Customers are getting more fresh food to eat within a day or two, and we strive to be the local supermarket that has what they want, when they want it.

Being able to make a range of fresh products onsite is a unique selling point.

We have a smokehouse to make our own bacon, and make all our own sausages as well. Our popular “Brookfield’s Own” range has been going for almost 20 years, and includes pies, doughnuts, quiches, salads, fresh deli meals, and our famous corned silverside.

That said, improving the shopping experience is about decluttering your store and refining your range, so it’s quicker to get around and easier to find

what you want. As noted above, modern shoppers have less time but are visiting more often, so we owe it to them to keep streamlining the shopping process.

We also owe it to them to give back to the communities in which we operate, which is why we are very proud to have started the Good Neighbour Food Rescue programme in Tauranga.

My wife Lavina, with the help of John and Jackie Paine and 60 volunteers, are recovering food that’s “good enough to eat, but not good enough to sell”, which they then redistribute to local charities.

Yet another example of how we exceed expectations beyond ‘good service’ – and for the greater good.

have in your categories with absolute protection. He went on to say, “I know a lot of people sitting here are going to say ‘yeah right’, but we are serious about improving this relationship and having a fair relationship with suppliers.”

He also took questions from the floor, and all in all his presentation was warmly received, as much about him being there as what he said. It was great to have Woolworths back in the room.

We also had a question-and-answer session with Foodstuffs, with me asking questions of CEOs Steve Anderson and Chris Quin. They gave an update on their businesses, and talked about relationships with suppliers, latest innovations in food and packaging,

sustainability, supply chain, and shopper trends and demands. They took questions from the floor on as well.

Earlier, Rob Clark of Nielsen set the retailer segment of the conference by giving members the annual exclusive update on how suppliers rated retailers, and it’s fair to say there was a general improvement across the board.

Here’s to more of that on all levels in 2019. In other conference presentations, speakers from Australia encouraged New Zealand suppliers to consider a grocery code of conduct. Professor Graeme Samuel, who has just reviewed the Australian Food & Grocery Code of Conduct that introduced minimum standards of transparency, business practice, and dispute resolution rules in supplier-retailer dealings, said New Zealand should consider a similar code, saying “it has helped drive cultural change within these organisations.”

And the CEO of the Australian Food & Grocery Council, Tanya Barden, said “it’s absolutely something I think your sector should be having a look closely at to see whether this is something that you could put in place. In a nutshell – n get one.

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Offering just “good service” is no longer good enough – simply because in the modern consumer era almost every supermarket has that!

AN OPEN DISCUSSION

For the food and grocery sector to be operating efficiently and in the best interests of everyone, including shoppers, it’s essential that suppliers and retailers have a good relationship where issues can be discussed directly and openly.

Katherine Rich

Chief Executive NZ Food & Grocery Council

This hasn’t always been the case, but I believe I can say that at the end of another very busy year for the sector, things are improving. There have always been proactive and willing relationships between Woolworths NZ and Foodstuffs and suppliers on issues such as health and safety and supply chain, and that’s been to the benefit of all. But there have been times and areas where not everything has helped the sort of relationship we need to ensure the sector is functioning well. That is, perhaps not until now.

If the sector is to move forward then it must look forward, and I can honestly say that following the Food & Grocery Council’s annual conference in

Brisbane, I’m more confident than ever that the relationships are as healthy as ever. Not only was there the usual high interest by FGC member companies in what the retailers at the conference had to say but, for the first time in four years we actually had both of the main retailers present. This year, to the absolute delight of delegates, Woolworths NZ joined us and clearly intend to continue to do so into the future. The General Manager of Merchandise at Woolworths NZ, Scott Davidson, firstly gave us a fantastic update on their latest food and grocery campaigns and how they are focussing on delivering fresh, healthy food, sustainability, and good service.

Then, most significantly, he talked about relationships with suppliers by saying this: “We must be working together. There’s a long way to go, but things are changing. I encourage you to continue to talk to myself and my leadership team about any issues you

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techbytes TRANSFORMING AGRICULTURE

Agricultural food business Olam International has teamed up with Canvass Analytics to use AI to improve

CHARGING KAPITI CARS agricultural operations and ultimately transform the industry.

Canvass Analytics which is funded

by Google uses AI to improve a manufacturers quality control, lower production costs and reduce energy consumption. “Artificial Intelligence is a powerful tool to help re-imagine global agriculture. The insights offered by data and analytics provide opportunities to transform the way we operate and to find new ways to address challenges across the agricultural value chains,” explained KC Suresh, managing director and CEO of Grains at Olam International.

Humera Malik, CEO of Canvass Analytics added that the technology company was excited to be working with one of the world’s leading food and agricultural companies to change the way food is produced. n

A network of charging stations is underway in the Kapiti and Horowhenua regions. The first six electric vehicle fast-charging stations opened at PAK’nSAVE at Coastlands Mall earlier this week.

The project will also see five further locations open in the coming months at Paekākāriki, Raumati Beach, Waikanae Beach, Foxton, and Shannon. The expansion of chargers is the result of a partnership between a large number of players including Foodstuffs and ChargeNet NZ as well as local electricity distribution company Electra, Kāpiti Coast District Council, Horowhenua District Council, and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), which provided funding support through the Low Emissions Vehicle Contestable Fund. “The whole project is a great example of

artificial intelligence, automation and data velocity has enabled us to better support our customers in the digital era. Tetra Pak Plant Secure is a great example of how we use new technology to broaden our perspective and deliver bottom-line benefits for our customers,” said Dennis Jonsson, President and

CEO of the Tetra Pak Group. Pilot projects have already been carried out across America and Europe with one American dairy producer reducing operational costs by 10 percent in the first year of implementation. The system is set to be rolled out across all food and beverage companies around the world. n

PLANT SECURE Tetra Pak has introduced Tetra Pak Plant Secure, a plant management system that improves profitability. The service audits a manufacturers systems and equipment to provide an analysis to identify possible opportunities and initiate improvements. “Our investment in Industry 4.0 technologies such as

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how a collaborative approach can achieve significant progress, and we are delighted to be working closely with Electra, Foodstuffs and both the Kāpiti Coast District Council and Horowhenua District Council,” said ChargeNet NZ CEO Steve West. Both councils involved worked with ChargeNet NZ, Electra and Community Boards to determine suitable locations for the chargers, which benefit local businesses, drivers and the wider community. n

SUSTAINABILITY TOP OF MIND FOR KIWIS “We recently launched Countdown’s 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) report, which details the progress we’ve made over the last financial year to meet the 20 CSR Commitments we set at the end of 2017.

Kiri Hannifin

General Manager, Corporate Affairs and Sustainablitiy Countdown

It’s hard not to feel proud when I read it. The report is both a compelling and very humbling display of what can be achieved when the 18,400 members of our team decide to get behind something.

To be able to do good things for New Zealand at scale is a privilege we all appreciate at Countdown. It is a responsibility we take very seriously and for me personally, the single biggest motivator for me in my role.

For us, being sustainable is making sure that while our business grows and delivers value, we also provide rewarding jobs and a supportive workplace, contribute to our local communities and protect Aotearoa’s unique environment. Our latest CSR report is a demonstration of our ongoing commitment to doing that.

Particular highlights from the report

include reducing our gender wage gap to 1.11 per cent, further reducing our carbon emissions by 8.8 per cent (as compared with the previous year), gaining White Ribbon Accreditation, donating $6.3m of food to our Food Rescue partners and local farmers, and increasing the number of our own brand products with the Health Star Rating to 82 per cent.

But without a doubt, the greatest success of this year has been the work we have done, alongside our customers, to move away from single-use plastic carrier bags.

When we undertook this project, we were uncertain about how easy it would be for Kiwis to transition away from single use carrier bags. Announcing first was a leap of faith, but it was the right leap of faith and we are so delighted to have completed the phase-out of these bags in every single one of our 180 stores two and half months ahead of schedule.

Our focus on removing and reducing unnecessary plastic hasn’t only seen the end of single-use plastic bags.

This year, we have also removed more than 70 tonnes of plastic from

CHAAN CLIFTON

Category Manager, Dairy Smallgoods and Serviced Deli Meats, Countdown

Chaan Clifton was born and raised in Mt Albert, Auckland with a passion for sports. “I grew up spending most of my free time playing football and softball.”

As a child Clifton hoped to have a job as an engineer, or working with anything that involved numbers.

However, after having a number of jobs throughout school Clifton found himself on a different and unexpected path which would eventually lead him to Countdown NZ. “I had multiple jobs starting from age 13 that led me in this direction. The skills I have gained during this time were invaluable and prepared me to succeed throughout my career.”

our produce section, phased out packs of single-use plastic straws, and moved our packaged in-house bakery products into recycled plastic packaging produced by Wellington-based company, Flight Plastics.

Overall, we have made some great progress, but we also know there is still plenty more to be done and we are very determined to continue to reduce plastic and packaging across our business wherever we can.

Our 2020 CSR strategy gives us a framework to be able to focus our attention effectively on the areas where

we can make a tangible difference for New Zealand and New Zealanders.

While our CSR goals are ambitious, they are something our team strongly believes we can achieve.

Importantly, being more sustainable is something our customers, and all New Zealanders, want as well. We have seen unprecedented levels of feedback from our customers wanting us to take even more action when it comes to the environment. Responding to this feedback with action will be a priority for us over the next year.” n

May 2017 saw him take up the role of assistant category manager in the biscuits category at Countdown which eventually led to his current position as Category Manager for Dairy Smallgoods and Serviced Deli Meats. Before picking up his role at Countdown, Clifton worked as a National Field Account Sales Manager for Puma NZ where he enjoyed forging relationships with retail accounts from a sales perspective and using the role to enhance his skills as a buyer.

As a category manager he believes that having the ability to impact customers lives and being challenged is what makes the role rewarding. “I enjoy working with numbers and thrive on problem-solving which I am lucky enough to utilise in my current role on a daily basis.”

The impact on people’s lives is a responsibility not taken lightly, and Clifton feels privileged to hold this position. “The challenging discussions and tough decisions are always worth it when I see how our customers will benefit. As a category manager, it is my responsibility to ensure we provide our customers with the best possible range at the lowest possible prices.”

Using his strengths Clifton has been able to succeed in his role as a category manager, harnessing his problem solving and analytical skills. “I’m great with numbers, and I utilise this daily as a

category manager. My people skills also come in handy, and I am able to adapt to different situations.”

Embracing Countdown’s team orientated style of working has been another reward for Clifton.

“At Countdown, we work as a team, and everyone is always willing to help. I have embraced this way of working, and enjoy watching others succeed and if I can help them along the way it means even more.”

Working in Countdown's large team meant that he had to learn to communicate and interact in a number of different ways. These skills have not only benefited Clifton in his role at Countdown but also in his personal life.

“Interacting with such a big team has helped mould me into a more wellrounded person. The negotiation skills I have acquired have been beneficial in several aspects of my day to day life, especially with my wife.”

As for the future, Clifton hopes to progress his career further and maybe purchase a farm. “I have recognised the opportunities that this company has to offer. I know it won’t just be handed to me, so I’m willing to work hard to be as successful as possible. Personally, I know my wife would love to live on a farm – although we’re a few years away from that yet.” n December/January 2019

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