Growing up in small-town, Central Otago, his first real taste of the grocery industry was as the Dairy and Chilled Manager for New World Alexandra. MacKenzie took the job as a filler after deciding he no longer wanted to work as a chef - which is what he trained to do. He managed to apply his cheffing skills to the service deli, and it didn't take long before he was hooked on the fast-paced environment. More than 26 years down the track, he met his wife Kim in the industry and has had three kids.
"I'm still just as passionate about my job."
MacKenzie transitioned to Grocery Manager, then to Second in Command at the Alexandra store, where he was still working when a position at Foodstuffs Christchurch came up. Since then, he has held a number of posts with Foodstuffs, including Merchandise Operations Manager. But it has been a long-time dream for Dave and his wife Kim to be store Owner Operators, and becoming a Store Manager gets them one step closer.
The opportunity to manage New World Ashburton provides MacKenzie with unrivalled in-store experience, which is what he looked forward to the most.
"I've looked forward to gaining new experience and incorporating all the skills I've learnt into practice in store. I'm also looking forward to becoming part of the Ashburton community. Ashburton will be our new home, and we look forward to meeting new people and starting our next chapter here."
While MacKenzie is incredibly excited about his role, it does not come without its challenges. He noted procurement issues over the pandemic and panic buying that caused significant problems right across the grocery supply chain. Adding to that was the shortage of container ships, containers in the wrong locations, the actual impact of Covid lockdowns and staff absenteeism creating other immense pressures. The next six months don't look to be getting any easier. "Times are tough," he said.
Inflation cannot be ignored as it is impacting businesses and customers alike. "We have a role to play to help with inflation, that is, offering good value and products for customers is vital." There is also the labour shortage, which flows right across the board but hits particularly hard in specialty areas such as bakery.
Even though things look a bit tough, MacKenzie notes it is still an incredibly interesting time for the industry.
"Customer trends are changing. How we shop, what we shop for, and when we shop is all evolving. There is so much happening from supplier to shelf that while there are challenges, there are also lots of opportunities. "
For anyone just starting out in the industry, the Store Manager encourages embracing everything that comes with it. Working hard and taking every opportunity is always beneficial, especially because a product doesn't just appear on the shelf - there is so much it must go through. He also encourages long-term career pathways in the industry as there are many opportunities within each store, support centre and the larger supply chain that can lead to key management and leadership roles.
"After 26 amazing years at Foodstuffs, I didn't take the decision to leave lightly. I had a fantastic time, loved the people, the member support and supplier engagement. I made many lifelong friends because Foodstuffs is a family I am still part of, just in a different capacity."
He wanted to take a moment to thank the team at New World Ashburton for making him feel so welcomed. He loves his new role and being back engaging with staff and customers on the supermarket floor.
After less than a month on the job, it seems Dave MacKenzie is exactly where he is meant to be.
