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Last night Foodstuffs North Island celebrated the best of the best at the annual Co-Op Awards. The winners show they are stand out leaders in their field – and drive exceptional loyalty from customers and their teams alike.
Chris Quin, CEO FSNI is quick to say, “It’s humbling to get up on stage and applaud the incredible work that our people put in each day to deliver what our customers need. While we are the market-leader in the supermarket business, we can’t rest on our laurels. Every single one of our owner-operators goes all out to do the right thing by their customers – but some are exceptional. These awards recognise the extra effort they put into running 100% New Zealand owned and operated businesses who really get what this country is all about.”
The Awards recognise the best in Produce, Butchery, Bakery, Seafood and Service Deli. They also look at Safety & Wellbeing, Sustainability and Supplier Relationships. “All stores work all day on these areas – it’s just that some go that extra mile to ensure the avocados are glistening, the focaccia is piping hot, the salmon is fresh and the team is healthy, safe and supported.”
One of the most highly prized awards is the Co-operative Spirit Award, which was awarded to Leo and Kieran O’Sullivan. “The beauty of the Co-op is that no owner or their team goes it alone. Leo and Kieran are legends in our business for putting the Co-op first and this shines through in events like the aftermath of the 2016 November quakes, when they offered unstinting support to Steve and Sarah Williams at New World Hutt City,” says Quin.
At the end of the night the award for best store was given to Paul and Liz Blackwell, PAK'nSAVE Albany. This amazing couple has set the bar high for 20 extraordinary years. They not only enjoy undying loyalty from their customers and team, they also give so much to the Co-op as mentors and to the community.
If you want to check out where to get the best retail experience in the North Island, then check out the list of award winners below.
| Award | Winner | Member | Why they won |
| Safety & Wellbeing | New World Matamata | Matt and Sheree Hart | The
winners of the Safety and Wellbeing recognition award are
doing an outstanding job.. As well as being all-rounders in terms of great safety practice in store, having lost a team member, Matt and Sheree made a conscious decision to do more to support the team in all areas of life. Through the medium of Facebook, staff can share their stories and in turn provide support for others. The team has firmly embedded all the key elements of the Foodstuffs New World Safety System and are continuing to build upon it. |
| Sustainability | PAK'nSAVE Kilbirnie | Dean Galt | This Store leads the way when it comes to sustainability. Not just focusing in one area, PAK’nSAVE Kilbirnie are committed to improving sustainability in their store across a number of key metrics - from Waste and Recycling with an average diversion of 96% to high levels of energy efficiency and a strong relationship with Kaibosh Food Rescue to ensure any food items good enough to eat but not good enough to sell are passed on. Theydonate approximately 10,000 meals a month. They are a top performing store for soft plastics recycling, andhave plans to host a customer EV charging port. |
| Store of the year: PAK’nSAVE | PAK'nSAVE Albany | Paul Blackwell | PAK'nSAVE Albany has received some
outstanding results this year. Their high standards and consistency in merchandising means the customer never misses out. They have astrong focus on meeting customer needs. |
| Store of the year: New World | New World Brookfield | Brendon Good | New World Brookfield is a known high performer
with top fresh standards in every department. A strong focus on delivering brand standards and attention to detail across the board sees this store come out on top. High levels of staff engagement are evident. The team has fully bought into the store’s detailed and comprehensive business plan, which in turn has driven high store performance. |
| Store of the year: Four Square | Four Square Coromandel | Damian Langley | You'll be greeted by name at this year’s Four Square store of the year. Priding themselves on their customer service, this great team is known for treating their customers like family. If you're a local or regular to the area, you'll be asked about the kids or the family pet! Four Square Coromandel is merchandised consistently well, and has a strong focus on improving their fresh food offering and bring new ideas to life. |
| Store of the year: Gilmours | Gilmours Mt Roskill | Aaron Kedzlie | This year’s Gilmours
store of the year has had a fantastic 12 months with
exceptional sales growth. With superior engagement and commitment to their Key and National account customers, Mt Roskill has built a solid pipeline enabling great results. With strong leadership and a motivated team, growing top sales lines while maintaining a profitable bottom line has paid off for this store, as has the focus on constantly improving processes to meet customer needs and demands. Highly engaged and contributing strongly across the banner, it’s no wonder this store has come out on top. |
| Foodstuffs North Island Store of the Year | PAK'nSAVE Albany | Paul Blackwell | The customer is always in mind at PAK’nSAVE Albany. With a commitment to being price competitive and the belief they can best reward customers by having great promotional prices that are best in market, there’s no doubt this store’s key focus is on delivering what its customers want and need. Paul Blackwell has been a leader for many years, and has grown many other leaders in the store. They have a strong focus on investing in staff training and recognition, which means PAK’nSAVE Albany continues to deliver. |
| Fresh food department of the year Bakery | New World Brookfield | Brendon Good | Outstanding customer
service has lead the way for this year’s Bakery of the
year at New World Brookfield With over 90% of products made in store, outstanding range and quality and a great approach to team work they lead from top to bottom. It’s no wonder they are a firm favourite in the community. |
| Fresh food department of the year Butchery | PAK'nSAVE Silverdale | Vinod Bhaga | Butchery winners, PAK’nSAVE Silverdale,
pride themselves on providing high quality products every
day, with incredibly high standards for presentation. The
team is always striving to be the best and this shows in
their results. One of the most significant drivers in success for this team, is its commitment to a culture where success is celebrated and shared amongst the team. |
| Fresh food department of the year Produce | New World New Plymouth | Rob Dowman | New World New Plymouth has a passion for produce. With management leading from the front, the team’s main focus is on full, fresh displays of high quality produce and a desire to share their knowledge and expertise with customers. Fantastic processes from stockroom to the floor means category management is well executed and delivery is consistent allowing the team to focus on exceeding customer expectations. |
| Fresh food department of the year Seafood | New
World Whangaparaoa | Penny Ashton | New World Whangaparaoa have really raised the Seafood bar. With exemplary presentation for fresh fish standards and quality considered the best. This department has a great range and staff have stepped up to the mark driven by a passion and loyalty to the owner. The team recognises what their customers wants, and needs are and have delivered consistently on this. |
| Fresh food department of the year Service Deli | PAK'nSAVE Tauriko | Jon Morrison | This year’s Service
Deli of the year is known for its freshness and quality
products. The team at PAK’nSAVE Tauriko are always set up and ready to go as soon as the doors open. And the Deli team know their customers well, having prepared food ready at the right times. Continually looking for ways to improve, the team introduces a hot food offering which has been incredibly well received in the community. |
| Supplier Relationship Award | New WorldMelody’s | Kerry Melody | A regular top performer over the past three years, it’s great to see this store top the Supplier of the Year ratings tonight. Ranked highest in the group for acting with honesty, fairness, integrity and courtesy and highly commended for the way they partner in meetings and scheduling. Congratulations to New World Melody’s. |
| Co-Operative Spirit Award | Leo and Kieran O'Sullivan– PAK'nSAVE Petone andPAK'nSAVE Lower Hutt | This
year’s award goes to two people – Leo and Kieran
O’Sullivan. Two people who have demonstrated unparalleled Co-operative Spirit by going above and beyond the expectation of a member and who have both always put the Co-operative first. Over the years both have given their time to numerous Committees and both served on the Board of FSW for a combined total of 24 years. They are always the first to offer support to new members in all three banners. Following the earthquake in the LNI, both members supported Steve and Sarah Williams in New World Hutt City when their store had to temporarily close. They helped with staffing, space for the team to work from and they took all the fresh foods and perishable products selling them through their own stores making sure Steve and Sarah didn’t have to carry a loss. Well deserving winners. |
ends
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