Foodstuffs celebrates locally owned store success at Co-op Awards

Foodstuffs North Island celebrated the outstanding achievements across the co-operative’s PAK’nSAVE, New World, Four Square and Gilmours supermarkets at its annual Co-op Awards, held last week at Auckland’s Viaduct Event Centre. 

Now in its 8th year, the Foodstuffs North Island Co-op Awards recognise the organisation’s highest performing people and stores, with 22 awards across six categories, including Store of the Year, Customer Promises, Partner of the Year, New in Brand, Here for NZ and the Co-operative Spirit award. 

This year the awards have been refreshed with pinnacle customer focused awards like Store of the Year and the Co-op Spirit Award retained, and new ones introduced including Customer Promises and Here for NZ, which Foodstuffs North Island CE Chris Quin says more closely aligns to the co-operative’s customer and community driven focus.  

“Our aspiration is to become one of the most customer driven retailers in the world, so we wanted to make sure our Co-op Awards reflect and celebrate this.  Building our customer promises into our awards means we can recognise our stores who go over and above to give their customers great value, experiences, and awesome solutions every time they shop with us,” he says. 

The Here for NZ award focuses on how stores are delivering the co-operative’s social promises, including making sure New Zealanders have access to healthy and affordable food, sustainability leadership, meaningful and safe work, and local community support.   

“It’s a privilege to trade in our communities, and a responsibility to be here for New Zealand so it’s important our Co-op Awards reflect this too,” says Chris. 

This year’s Here for NZ winner, Lin Guo and the team at New World Southmall have a strong track record of delivering for both their customers and their team.   

“New World Southmall are huge supporters of many community groups in their area as well as their local social supermarket programme. They lead the way in sustainability with a zero-waste policy which ensures usable food can be passed to foodbanks and food rescue organisations,” Chris says. 

The awards have strict judging criteria and are measured using scorecards, along with mystery shopping and customer engagement, reviewed by a panel of experts to ensure there’s a clear methodology to determine winners.  

Chris says it’s a very difficult process given the outstanding efforts so many owners and their teams put in every day of the year to deliver for Foodstuffs North Island customers. 

“The standard for these awards and the calibre of our finalists was incredibly high. My congratulations go out to all our finalists and award winners this year who have put in such hard work and heart into delivering a superb experience for our customers and communities, you should all be immensely proud,” he says. 

Nominations and Winners