Over the past couple of weeks, thousands of ‘Little Gardens’ have been growing throughout New Zealand. The promotion, launched by New World in mid-September, allows shoppers to collect and grow a selection of 24 vegetables and herbs, with one free seedling kit for every $40 spent in-store. Last Monday, the chain has also released a limited-edition seedling kit, Little Petunia, with all proceeds going to the Starship Foundation. To date petunias have almost sold out, which is fantastic news for Starship Children’s Health as New World has managed to raise over $50,000.
We asked Stephanie Pyne, New World’s group retail marketing manager, Foodstuffs, how the initiative is going.
“Extremely well. We know people are increasingly interested in growing their own food, and we are seeing lots of excited New Zealanders starting their own Little Garden journey,” she said. “We wanted to encourage Kiwis to get involved and gain an even stronger understanding of where their food comes from, and we are seeing customers sharing their experience on social media.”
The promotion has been designed to help kids learn about the power of nature and how they can add fresh herbs and veges to their meals. According to Pyne, both children and adults are actively engaging in the campaign, with shoppers describing the idea as ‘awesome’ and ‘supercool’. “Food education is key,” one wrote. “When supermarket promotions literally make your child jump for joy,” said another.
Launched on September 12th, Little Garden is due to run for six weeks, while stocks last.
“Although the promotion will only be running for a few more weeks, the little seedlings will continue to grow and hopefully end up on dinner plates all over the country,” said Pyne. “We want to help our Little Gardeners on their journey so will keep our websites up to date with tips and tricks encouraging Kiwis to keep growing.”
