Countdown Ferrymead reopens

Team of 150 ready to serve locals

10 April 2014: Countdown Ferrymead will reopen its doors today after it sustained extensive damage in the 2011 earthquake, and had to be subsequently closed and demolished.

The store, which will be officially opened by Deputy Mayor Vicki Buck, is providing 150 jobs for the community including 112 new faces to the Countdown team.

Store Manager Aaron Murray says it’s an extremely special milestone for the business and the local community.

“It’s fantastic to see Ferrymead standing again. We’re so excited to have a number of the original Ferrymead team returning, many of whom had worked here for more than a decade when the earthquake happened. Our Duty Manager on February 22nd, Pam Annand, will also be returning and was instrumental in ensuring all of our customers were able to get out safely immediately after the earthquake happened.

“We’ve been part of this community for a long time, and can’t wait to welcome back our locals. We know our customers have been eagerly watching with interest, so we really want to thank them for their patience while we’ve been rebuilding the store,” says Aaron.

He says the new state-of-the-art-store includes Countdown’s first in-store pharmacy in the South Island, as well as an expanded layout complete with new clothing and kitchenware merchandise.

Countdown’s Managing Director, Dave Chambers, says the opening of Countdown Ferrymead is the final piece of the puzzle in completing a significant number of repairs needed to its Christchurch supermarkets and Hornby Distribution Centre over the past three years.

“We are 100% committed to Christchurch as a local employer and investor, and I stand by the commitment we made immediately after the earthquake to providing ongoing employment to our team of 2500 in Christchurch. I’m extremely proud of how resilient our team have been and I want to thank them for all their hard work and support,” says Dave.

In the last six years Countdown’s parent company Progressive Enterprises has invested more than $95 million in Christchurch on building, repairing and upgrading its stores. Countdown Ferrymead is the last of three buildings to be rebuilt in Christchurch – SuperValue Edgeware which was reopened in 2012, as well as the SuperValue and FreshChoice support office in Byron Street which was reopened last year. Countdown will also be bringing the first supermarket to the North Canterbury town of Amberley when it opens a store there next month.

New features of the store

At 4,200 square metres, the new store returns with a larger, more modern shopping experience, providing a wider range of products and services,

Behind the scenes, the store will also feature a range of environmental initiatives including a CO2 refrigeration plant system that will give significant energy efficiency benefits. Night blinds on refrigerated cabinets, sliding covers on freezers and energy efficient lighting among other things will also help minimise the store’s carbon footprint.

ENDS

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