Four Square Brightwater, at the top of the South Island, has attracted the praise of local punters following renovations that have unveiled a fresh look for the 99-year-old iconic kiwi brand.
Owner-operators Nathan and Anna Hay have been in post at the store, their very first Four Square, for just over two years. They decided to give it a complete overhaul, updating it to Four Square’s latest ultra-modern specifications. The store is one of only four in the South Island renovated to the new standard, with the other stores located in Māpua, Queenstown, and Palmerston, north of Dunedin.
Foodstuffs South Island has plans in place to ensure all new Four Square stores in the South Island are built to the new fresh look benchmark.
“We’ve made a commitment to investing in the store and the growing community of Brightwater by providing a modern store for locals and visitors, making it easier and more convenient for them to get all their everyday essentials and grocery items,” Hay said.
“We’ve timed our renovations well, ahead of Four Square’s 100th anniversary on 4 July, bringing the store up to date and ready for the next 100 years of trading.”
The fresh look featured an improved layout and lighting, brightly coloured neon signs that identify each in-store department, electronic shelf labels, and a contemporary colour scheme. There’s also new energy-efficient refrigeration, extra space for customers to move around in-store, and over 4,000 products. The store has increased its chilled foods section, which features its top-selling items, added hot-cooked chickens to their deli offering, and recruited four more team members, bringing the total count to ten.
“It’s been a real game changer, and it’s generated a lot of positive interest and feedback from our local customers. We are really pleased with the way the store is looking and the improvements we’ve made to our customers’ instore experience,” added Hay.
“We’ve had increased foot traffic following the renovation, and we’ve been getting great feedback about the store from our customers and community. People are coming in and saying everything looks new again, and that it’s great to have a modern store in town.”
Hay began his career as a chartered accountant in the UK before taking on roles with Foodstuffs and Kathmandu. He was previously a commercial manager and then PAK'nSAVE group manager at the Foodstuffs South Island Support Centre. Anna Hay began her supermarket journey as a checkout operator at the age of 15, before going into recruitment in the UK. She then joined the compliance and food safety team at New World St Martins in Christchurch for one year prior to becoming an owner-operator.
Part of Foodstuffs South Island's purpose is to help create successful communities and positively impact their customers’ lives every day. This is something that Nathan and Anna Hay hope locals see when they shop instore and through the community groups they support locally, such as The Wanderers Community Sports Club. Hay said the new, fresh look at Four Square Brightwater is set to make a welcomed addition to the community.
“We love being here and serving our local community, it’s rewarding and it’s varied, and we also really enjoy being in a small town where we all look out for each other. For us, it’s all about people, and doing our best each day for our local community.”
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