Countdown comes to Coast

Countdown is coming to Greymouth, and will take over the current Fresh Choice supermarket. Progressive Enterprises announced yesterday that the Greymouth business had been sold to Countdown.

Progressive owns the Foodtown, Woolworths and Countdown brands. Current owners Chris and Lindsey Ward, who built the store six years ago, will hand over the reins on October 11. The supermarket will be converted to a “new generation” Countdown, with an extended range of products and latest discounts.
Progressive Enterprises managing director Peter Smith said more than $1 million would be invested in refurbishing the store to “the Countdown standard”.
The formal part of the sale was completed only yesterday. The conversion to Countdown will take place gradually, starting in the coming weeks.
Mr Ward, who is based in Christchurch but has a house in Greymouth and commutes, said the “landscape” of supermarkets was changing.
“Foodstuffs is currently (leading in New Zealand), Progressive is going to change that — they’re going to get aggressive.”
A number of other Fresh Choice supermarkets were also being re-branded as Countdown including in Westport, Motueka and Avonhead, in Christchurch.
“We believe that the Fresh Choice brand is thriving, and this success triggered Progressive’s interest in purchasing our store,” Mr Ward said.
“I felt the business and staff were in a good position for the handover. Countdown will bring with it national pay rates for the staff.”
All of the 86 employees had been offered jobs under the new ownership. Mr and Mrs Ward bought Super Value, where the Greymouth Courthouse is now situated, in 2003 before building a new Fresh Choice beside The Warehouse in 2004. Mrs Ward said the
re-branding to Countdown was a good thing for the West Coast, having progressed from the old Super Value to a major national supermarket.
“We feel that we have made a real impression in the Greymouth community during our time here. Fresh Choice was the first new supermarket to open in Greymouth in over 20 years.”