New World is a big part of Kiwi lives, with its distinctive red and black logo it has been part of the shopping landscape for 60 years this month.
New World is one of the most enduring supermarket brands, with more than 140 locally owned and operated stores across New Zealand. As New World reaches a momentous 60-year milestone this month, we look back on the origins of one of our largest supermarket brands.
The name 'New World' was brought back from Australia by Russell Thomas (CEO of Foodstuffs Christchurch), where, at the time, it was being used by GJ Coles as the name for their supermarkets (around the very late 1950s-early 1960s).
The first Supermarket, branded "New World", was in Milford. It was part of the Foodstuffs Auckland co-operative, which later merged into Foodstuffs North Island. The Milford store opened on June 6, 1964, and was owned by Allen Hill and Charlie Coldicutt.
Before that "New World, some of the pre-New World 4-Square Supermarkets used the slogan "a New World of shopping" as an advertising strapline.
The first really 'full-fledged' supermarket opened in New Zealand was opened in June 1958 by Foodtown at Otahuhu, although Foodstuffs did claim to have opened the first "one-stop-shop supermarket" (a very small 4-Square 'supermarket') at Belmont on Auckland's North Shore, on November 5, 1957.
For some 16-17 years, Foodstuffs New World Supermarkets were double-branded. They carried the 4-Square logo and ran the 4-Square and New World "specials".
During the 1950s and 1960s, American-style supermarkets swept across the globe, offering larger-format destination grocery stores with expanded product ranges. This style of supermarket arriving on the New Zealand shopping scene changed the way Kiwis shopped. Now, everything was under one roof, and Kiwi shoppers loved it.
Following the launch of New World Milford, more New World banners quickly appeared, and by 1966, 11 stores across Auckland were operating under the New World banner.
New World Milford still exists today in its original location on Kitchener Road. It has been upgraded several times over its sixty-year history, including a complete renovation in 2014, which expanded its original footprint to double its size.
Current owner-operator David Dill-Russell, who has run the supermarket for the past two years, said it is incredibly special to be part of New World history and the Milford community.
"New World has such a wonderful history, and people make up a huge part of that. As Kiwis, we like to put our own spin on things, and the fact that we've been around for 60 years shows that we got something right," said Dill-Russell.
Local owner-operators mean New World can pivot to ensure that the offered products meet the community's needs. That commitment to community is the foundation of the New World brand's longevity.
The banner group has continued to evolve over the decades, bringing in-store butchery and bakeries to the New World shopper, and providing training opportunities for apprentices. The continued emphasis by each owner-operator and their teams on being part of the community makes the New World brand a very Kiwi brand.
