Countdown has celebrated the official opening of a brand new Queenstown store. The supermarket, located at 30 Grant Road, will be open from 7:00am – 10:00pm every day and has more than 600 customer car parks.
The 4,200 square metre store was officially opened by Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Vanessa Van Uden and was blessed by the local Iwi, Ngai Tahu. Representatives from the Salvation Army were also in attendance and were presented with a trolley of food for the local food bank.
Mayor Van Uden says it is great to see stage one of the Five Mile development open for business after months of anticipation. “The opening of Countdown Queenstown isn’t just about having a new supermarket – it’s a big step forward for the area’s economy. Having companies like Countdown invest in our region sends a strong message to others that Queenstown is a great place to do business.”
Clutha-Southland MP, Todd Barclay, who also spoke at the event, says the jobs created by the new store and the surrounding development will bring lots of benefits to the area. “As Queenstown continues to grow, it’s great to see more businesses opening up and offering increased opportunities for employment, particularly permanent roles. This new store alone is providing more than 80 new jobs to the region, which will be a great boost for Queenstown,” Barclay says.
Countdown Queenstown Store Manager, Antony Tasker, says the new team is really excited to have the store open and are looking forward to getting to know their new customers. “We’re excited to be bringing the first Countdown to Central Otago and being part of this fantastic community. Lots of locals have been telling me how much they have been looking forward to the store being open – it’s great to finally let them see what we have on offer!”
Countdown’s Managing Director, Pat McEntee, says the business is excited to be bringing its extensive range of food and groceries to the Queenstown community. “Our new store will be giving the Queenstown locals much more choice than they have had until now. We’re committed to help make shopping more affordable for New Zealanders and we are proud to be bringing lower grocery prices to Queenstown,” McEntee says.
The new generation store has been designed with Countdown’s latest design features and includes wider aisles, a more expansive fresh produce department and energy efficient fittings and equipment as well as a full production bakery department.
