New World Motueka has just completed a major renovation, transforming it into a more modern and sustainable shopping destination for the Motueka community.
Owner-operators Nicola and Simon Hollyer, who took over in 2022, undertook the 15-month refurbishment. They wanted to refresh the store to create a more contemporary feel and better suit the needs of Motueka locals.
“The store was previously owned by the Miller’s, a lovely local family who did their store expansion around 15 years ago. They’ve done an amazing job ever since, and we wanted to build upon that further,” said Simon Hollyer.
“This is the third store we’ve owned and the third refurbishment we’ve initiated, but this time around, we’re here for the long haul and are looking forward to enjoying the results. We plan to be in Motueka for a long time. We’re not just renovating and moving on; this is where we want to raise our family and the community we want to invest in.”
The Hollyers have been most proud of the new store layout.
“A central aisle now cuts right through the middle of the store, making it easy for customers to navigate and find what they need quickly,” said Nicola Hollyer.
“In the past, the long aisles felt restrictive and forced customers to walk the entire shop”.
This new central aisle gives a clear view of the entire store, and the signage has been updated to clearly indicate exactly where everything is and how to get there.
“We want to make the shopping experience as efficient and enjoyable as possible.”
Sustainability was another major focus of the renovation. The refrigerators have been replaced, and renewable CO2 technology has been used to significantly reduce the store’s carbon footprint.
A newly installed heat pump system has been more energy efficient and helped improve the store's comfort for the team and customers, a welcome addition in mid-winter.
“New World Motueka is now a lighter, brighter and warmer place. Nicola comes from a family of grocers and understands the importance of building a store that the community can be proud of.”
Every decision has been made with the community in mind. Every store needs a major refurbishment every 14 years and a minor refresh every 7.
“It made sense to us to wrap all the changes we wanted to make into one big refurbishment. Now that it’s all done, the one thing we can promise is that we won’t make any more big changes for a very long time.”
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