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Woolworths New Zealand

{{Short description|Grocery company in New Zealand}}

{{for|the former New Zealand supermarket chain owned by Woolworths New Zealand|Woolworths (New Zealand supermarket chain)}}{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}

{{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2015}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Woolworths New Zealand Limited

| logo = Woolworths NZ corporate logo.png

| logo_size =

| logo_caption = Logo used since 2022

| former_name = Progressive Enterprises

| trade_name = Woolworths NZ (2018–present)
Progressive Enterprises (1949–2018)

| type = Subsidiary

| foundation = {{Start date and years ago|df=yes|9 February 1949}}
(as Progressive Enterprises)

| location = Favona, Auckland, New Zealand

| industry = Retail

| predecessor =

| num_employees = 18,000

| revenue = {{increase}} NZ$4,957 million (2008–2009)

| operating_income = {{increase}} NZ$208 million (2008–2009)

| owner = Woolworths Group (2005–present)

| parent = Woolworths Group
(Previously by Foodland associated Limited)

| homepage = {{url|woolworthsnz.co.nz}}

| subsid = {{flat list|

}}

Woolworths New Zealand Limited (formerly Progressive Enterprises) is the second largest grocery company in New Zealand (behind Foodstuffs), with revenue of NZ$6.2 billion for the year to June 2018. Alongside Foodstuffs, Woolworths NZ forms part of the New Zealand supermarket duopoly.

Progressive Enterprises Limited was once owned by the Western Australian Supermarket Group FAL – Foodland Associated Limited which operated Action Supermarkets, Supa Valu Supermarkets and Dewsons Supermarkets. It is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the Australian Woolworths Group.

History

  • 1948: Progressive Enterprises Limited was established on 9 February 1949 by the Picot family.{{cite web |last=Harris |first=Catherine |date=3 August 2012 |title=Kiwi supermarket, education leader dies |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/7408123/Kiwi-supermarket-education-leader-dies |accessdate=8 April 2017 |publisher=Stuff.co.nz}}
  • 1961: Progressive Enterprises became the parent company to Foodtown Supermarkets Limited.
  • 1974: Albert Gubay opens the first 3Guys store. Progressive Enterprises purchased the chain in 1987, and rebranded or closed them throughout the 1990s with the store in Hillcrest, Hamilton being one of the last when it closed in January 1998.
  • 1988: Progressive Enterprises became part of Australian business Coles Myer
  • 1992: Coles Myer relaunched Progressive Enterprises onto the New Zealand stock exchange as a public company.

On 25 May 2005, it was announced that Woolworths Limited, one of Australia's largest retailers, would be purchasing Progressive Enterprises along with 22 Action stores in Australia. The deal was worth approximately NZ$2.5 billion and culminated in the official transfer of assets on 24 November 2005.

In 2006, company workers at three distribution centres initiated industrial action in an attempt to win a collective employment agreement and pay rise.[http://xtramsn.co.nz/businessandmoney/0,,13273-6218286,00.html Business & Money]

The company responded by suspending grocery distribution centre operations and allowing suppliers to send stock directly to supermarkets.{{Cite web |date=2006-08-29 |title=Supermarket Suspends Distribution Centres |url=http://xtramsn.co.nz/businessandmoney/0,,13273-6227742,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060901010728/http://xtramsn.co.nz/businessandmoney/0,,13273-6227742,00.html |archive-date=2006-09-01 |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=XtraMSN}}

Also in 2006, the company was awarded the Roger Award For The Worst Transnational Corporation Operating in New Zealand.

On 15 August 2007, Progressive Enterprises announced employees on youth rates or under the age of 18 would get paid adult rates, which in some cases can be up to an 80% pay increase. The average pay increased from $9.00 to $13.50.

In August 2011, Progressive Enterprises won a marketing award.{{cite web |url=http://www.nzmarketingawards.co.nz/Home |title=Home |accessdate=2011-09-08 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907084055/http://www.nzmarketingawards.co.nz/Home |archivedate=7 September 2011 |df=dmy-all }} On 22 June 2018, Progressive Enterprise Limited renamed to Woolworths New Zealand Limited.

In June 2022, Woolworths New Zealand established a wholesale business, New Zealand Grocery Wholesalers, following the release in March of a Commerce Commission report on competition in the New Zealand grocery sector.{{Cite web |last=Enerva |first=Kaycee |date=2023-03-16 |title=Woolworths to supply Circle K stores in New Zealand |url=https://insidefmcg.com.au/2023/03/16/woolworths-to-supply-circle-k-stores-in-new-zealand/ |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=Inside FMCG |language=en-AU}} The government gave Woolworths and Foodstuffs one year to establish substantial wholesale agreements or face additional regulation.{{Cite web |date=2022-08-24 |title=Minister gives supermarket duopoly ultimatum over wholesale deals |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/473403/minister-gives-supermarket-duopoly-ultimatum-over-wholesale-deals |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}

In July 2023, Woolworths New Zealand announced the rebranding of all Countdown Supermarkets to Woolworths.{{Cite web |last=Shaw |first=Aimee |date=2023-07-18 |title=Countdown supermarkets to rebrand back to Woolworths |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/132563941/countdown-supermarkets-to-rebrand-back-to-woolworths/ |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=Stuff News |language=en-AU}} The rebrand is expected to be completed in early 2024.

In September 2024, thousands of union-affiliated Woolworths supermarket workers went on a two-hour strike to demand better wages and working conditions.{{cite news |title=Thousands of Woolworths supermarket staff strike |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/527561/thousands-of-woolworths-supermarket-staff-strike |access-date=10 September 2024 |work=RNZ |date=10 September 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910043649/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/527561/thousands-of-woolworths-supermarket-staff-strike |archive-date=10 September 2024|url-status=live}} In mid-December 2024, Woolworths signed a new collective bargaining agreement with First Union, giving union-affiliated workers a 6.8 percent pay rise over a period of two years.{{cite news |last1=Edmunds |first1=Susan |title=Pay rises for Woolworths staff |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/536814/pay-rises-for-woolworths-staff |access-date=19 December 2024 |work=RNZ |date=16 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218123644/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/536814/pay-rises-for-woolworths-staff |archive-date=18 December 2024}}

Store brands

File:FreshChoiceTakaka.JPG

Woolworths NZ runs the following grocery store chains:

  • Woolworths New Zealand: 191 supermarket stores
  • SuperValue: 40 stores – convenience supermarket stores, run as a franchise
  • FreshChoice: 30 stores – Higher quality supermarket with a large range, run as a franchise

It operates online grocery shopping in the name of Woolworths (formerly Countdown).[https://www.woolworths.co.nz/]

File:Woolworths NZ.jpg

==Former operations==

Product brands

  • Woolworths
  • Freefrom
  • Macro
  • Essentials
  • The Odd Bunch

Former product brands

  • Signature Range
  • Naytura
  • FreshZone
  • Basics
  • No Frills
  • Woolworths Select
  • Home Brand

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • [http://www.progressive.co.nz/ Progressive Enterprises Limited]
  • [http://www.progressive.co.nz/news_and_publications/press_releases/cdf28828-7684-4cb4-bfcf-447e6e1975dc.asp Press release – Woolworths acquisition]

{{Woolworths}}

{{Supermarkets in New Zealand}}

Category:Supermarkets of New Zealand

Category:Retail companies of New Zealand

Category:Retail companies established in 1949

Category:Woolworths Group (Australia)

Category:New Zealand companies established in 1949