After months of anticipation, a bigger and improved Countdown Waiheke supermarket has finally opened its doors on the island with over 12,000 new product lines. The upgraded 3,490 sqm store is completely plastic-bag-free and has helped create 20 additional jobs, bringing the total to over 100 employees.
“There has been a big build-up to this opening and the amount of effort that has gone into getting the store ready has been phenomenal,” said store manager Dave Collo.
Among the features of Countdown Waiheke are an expansive fresh produce department, a full production bakery, self-service checkouts, sushi and a Lotto counter.
“The new store is about 150 percent larger than the old store, has a massive new range of products at everyday low prices, along with some exciting new features,” said Dave Chambers, managing director, Countdown.
The company officially joined the BYO Bag initiative in May, by removing all plastic bags from its Waiheke store and encouraging shoppers to bring their own reusable bags. The response has thus far been great. As a demonstration of this commitment to the environment, the store will also collect rainwater on its roof and recycle grey water through an on-site wastewater treatment system, to redistribute it in a native wetland at the back of the site.
Watch Dave Chambers's speech here:
Countdown Waiheke
Green MP and Waiheke local Denise Roche with Waiheke store manager Dave Collo
