The new owner-operators of Four Square Picton, Rachel and Pete Seddon, are excited to take the reins of their first store and are already feeling at home among locals in the picturesque seaside town.
Rachel and Pete have recently moved north from Christchurch with their kids Frank, five, and Aubrey, seven, in tow, and are keen to get to know their new community.
“Our first week was full on, but we’ve been enjoying it,” said Rachel.
She continued that the locals and the neighbours had been welcoming and friendly, introducing themselves and stopping in to have a chat.
“The great thing about a small town is the community focus and the power of word of mouth,” said Pete.
In their first week, the Seddon family would be walking down the street, and people they hadn’t met yet asked the family if they were the new owners.
Four Square Picton has a steady flow of customers throughout the year, most of whom are locals, and the store is also a popular destination for many tourists and travellers that arrive by cruise ship and ferry during the busy summer.
Picton is the gateway to the South Island for many travellers, and Rachel and Pete are excited about everything it offers.
“The climate and the area were big drawcards for us, and as the gateway to the South Island, it’s great to meet visitors and share what the region and South Island has to offer.”
Pete continued that the store has good information for visitors and tourists about all the great attractions in the Marlborough region and beyond and the best way to get there.
Rachel and Pete have aspirations and plans to make Four Square Picton one of the best Four Squares in the South Island.
“We want to continue to develop the business and make it renowned for service that’s second to none.”
They aim to make Four Square Picton the most welcoming supermarket in the South Island.
South Islanders Rachel and Pete have lived in Christchurch for over 20 years and have always taken the time to serve and give back to their community. Pete has enlisted as a volunteer firefighter with the Picton Volunteer Fire Brigade and joined the local RSA. They’ve previously volunteered for the Red Cross, Rachel has been president of her local toy library, and Pete has been a member of the Papanui RSA committee. He’s also spent 13 years as a New Zealand soldier serving on peacekeeping missions overseas, 10 years as a firefighter with Fire and Emergency New Zealand, and volunteered for the Student Volunteer Army, which was formed in response to the Christchurch earthquake 2011.
“We’ve always volunteered and served our community in some shape.”
Pete worked alongside police in the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake, offering support on the cordons around the city centre to help prevent crime and looting that generally happens following a disaster. He recalls several occasions when the community rallied around them in support following a considerable aftershock.
“I remember seeing some real community spirit in the aftermath of the earthquake – people were giving us food and bringing us thermoses of coffee and sandwiches. It’s not something we expected. They just did it.”
Rachel is a chartered accountant by trade, and in 2010, she joined the Accountancy Services team at Foodstuffs South Island, the 100 percent New Zealand-owned co-operative behind the South Island’s Four Square, New World and PAK’nSAVE stores. She worked her way up and took over the accounting for Four Square stores. After taking a break to start a family, Rachel rejoined the workforce in the shipping industry.
It wasn’t long before opportunity came knocking. Rachel was contacted by Julia Spence, a Four Square owner she had previously worked with, who offered her an office manager position at a New World store.
“I said ‘yes,’ and I’ve been attached to the hip with Julia ever since,” Rachel stated.
In 2018, they worked together at New World Prestons, Julia as owner and Rachel as operations manager.
About a year ago, Rachel attended a Foodstuffs South Island Women’s Forum and caught up with a friend, Christine Renwick, who told her it was time to get a store.
“The great thing about Foodstuffs South Island is the network of people who help you out, and for me, I was lucky to have people like Julia, Christine, and Annie and John at Four Square Hanmer, who provided us with the knowledge, guidance and experience we needed to begin our journey towards ownership.”
“We took the leap, and here we are with our first store; it’s a great feeling.”
The couple continued that working in the supermarket business was pretty special because they were in it as a family, all working together and caring for each other and looking out for one another.
“We enjoy the teamwork and camaraderie, which is what we want to see in our store.”
Rachel and Pete want to look after their customers by continuing to provide affordable food while also stocking a range of artisan products that showcase the Marlborough region, like honey and chocolate, and beer and wine, for tourists and travellers that come into town off the cruise ships, ferries, or highway.
They will also continue to offer a unique service to locals, such as delivering groceries free of charge via the Mail Boat to a handful of customers who live in the more isolated areas of the Marlborough Sounds.
And with summer around the corner, they’re keen to start doing platters for people spending the day out on a boat or lunch packs for those doing local walks such as the Queen Charlotte Track.
