Already packed with boutique fashion stores, chic cafés, bars and restaurants, Auckland’s iconic suburb of Ponsonby will soon have a brand-new 4,000 sqm store to stroll in. Countdown Ponsonby is expected to be ready in a couple of months, as part of a prominent 13,200 sqm retail and office building.
The property, called Cider and formerly owned by supermarket giant Progressive Enterprises, has been recently sold to Oyster Group for $93 million, with settlement being due in June. Cider will be 100 percent leased to Countdown (on a 20-year lease), Fairfax NZ Ltd (on a 12-year lease) and convenience retail.
“We’re really looking forward to opening our store in a couple of months time,” a Countdown spokesperson told SupermarketNews, adding that the nearby Countdown Grey Lynn will remain open.
Industry rumours, so far unconfirmed by Countdown itself, suggested that the new supermarket will bring some innovation in terms of layout and offerings.
“The store is set to be a great new addition to the Ponsonby area and will feature our latest design, fixtures and fittings as well as some great new product ranges, that are specially tailored to our shoppers in the area,” Countdown’s spokesperson told us when asked, leaving the ‘mystery’ unsolved.
