The new FreshChoice Kaikohe opened its doors today, with a refreshed design and community focus.
The new owner-operators, Patrick and Paula-Lee Dudley, were excited to welcome the local community into their new supermarket this morning.
It was a special moment for Patrick Dudley, who started out at Woolworths 32 years ago in the Bay of Plenty as a store butcher and, most recently, managed the Woolworths Kerikeri store.
It feels like a full-circle moment.
"I’ve always enjoyed being part of a small community and serving customers that belong to the same community as I do," he said.
"Now, being able to own and operate my own store is an opportunity I don’t take for granted, and I’m looking forward to meeting everyone.”
FreshChoice Kaikohe has been designed with a focus on value and fresh, quality products, with a carefully curated range based on customer demand. This morning’s opening ceremony included a pōwhiri, as well as a ribbon-cutting, cake and sausage sizzle.
Locals will have noticed familiar faces filling the shelves and serving them in-store, with most of the Woolworths team transferring over to FreshChoice. Dudley was pleased to have brought over so many of the fantastic team members who were previously working at Woolworths.
"Now, we’re looking forward to meeting more of the community over the coming weeks and showing them what we’re all about at FreshChoice."
FreshChoice Executive General Manager Tim Cartwright added that the opening of FreshChoice Kaikohe represented the supermarket’s commitment to bringing quality, fresh, locally sourced products to Kiwi communities.
Patrick embodies FreshChoice's values, and his dedication is what’s going to make this store so special.
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