It’s been five months since Hayden and Alice Flannery became the new owner operators of New World Winton and they say the role feels like they’ve come home.
“My parents grew up in Tapanui, so I spent a lot of time in Southland as a kid and Alice and I lived in Gore in 2018, so it’s been a bit of a full circle moment for us moving back here with our children,” Hayden says.
“We’ve been really fortunate to be matched with a store with a well-established team who really knows their community. The last few stores we’ve worked in have taught us to be adaptable and take on feedback.
“We want to continue doing that here.”
Hayden’s retail journey began as a teenager, working as grocery assistant at New World Halswell. Over the last six years, Hayden has held a variety of senior roles at various New World stores in the South Island, most recently as store manager at New World Mosgiel.
Alice left the hospitality industry in 2018 to join Hayden in his role as Operations Manager at New World Gore. The couple have worked together ever since, and Hayden says they are absolutely loving Winton.
“Winton is a tight knit community who all get behind and support each other in anything and everything that happens here.”
“Our girls, Ava and Ellie, have settled in easily and made some friends whilst we are thoroughly enjoying getting to know our incredible team and the warm and welcoming locals,” Hayden says.
Hayden and Alice say they feel honoured to be able to help support local charities, sports clubs and give back to their customers where they can.
“We’re always open to taking on feedback from our customers and finding ways that our store can better serve the local community,” Hayden says.
Each New World is uniquely tailored to its respective community, and Hayden and Alice pride themselves on being a one-stop shop destination. New World Winton’s offerings include freshly baked goods, butcher’s cuts, and deli selections to cater for every type of shop.
“We love being able to showcase local products and stock locally made honey and fudge from Winton, along with oysters from down the road in Bluff,” Hayden says.
Hayden looks after the operational side of the business while Alice’s focus is on the people, recruitment and office side of things.
“We went from working in two different stores in Dunedin, to owning this business together and now sharing an office, which is just so awesome. We work great as a team. Alice is very good at keeping me on track when I go off on a tangent,” he laughs.
“This is an industry where if you’re willing to do the work and understand your customers there is endless possibility for growth and improvement.”
“There’s a lot of things you can do as an owner, the most important to us being caring for our people, continuing to foster growth amongst our team and supporting our community.
“We feel incredibly lucky to be on this journey and to have been given the opportunity to join the amazing team at New World Winton.”
