Balclutha residents will be spoilt for supermarket choice, with the new, state-of-the-art Countdown Balclutha opening, after 12 months of construction. The $18 million dollar development has also created over 80 new jobs for the community and is the first Countdown for the area.
Countdown’s Director of Property, Matt Grainger, says that Countdown is thrilled to be joining the Balclutha community and introducing more grocery shopping options for the town.
“Opening Countdown Balclutha is another milestone in our $50 million programme of investment in Otago and Southland, with a further four new store or existing store renovation projects that we’re aiming to deliver over a 12-month period.
“The 2,530qm Balclutha store has been designed and built to meet the needs and wants of our new customers. For example, we know locals want access to convenient online shopping services, so we’ve built a dedicated area for online order pick-ups, which means customers can pull up and pop their shopping in the boot.”
The store also has a number of sustainability features including electronic shelf labels to reduce paper use, bike racks for customers, a transcritical refrigeration system, and doors on fridges to help reduce energy use. To help reduce food waste, Countdown Balclutha is partnering with The Salvation Army to divert food that can’t be sold but is still good enough to eat to Kiwis in need.
Another key part of the Balclutha development has been building the team, with Countdown working closely with the local Council and Ministry for Social Development throughout its recruitment campaign.
“It’s been fantastic to welcome so many locals into our 80-strong Balclutha team. We’re really grateful to the local Council and the Ministry for their support in talking about the opportunities we had available. We’re really happy to be giving so many locals the opportunity to start or take their next step in their career with us,” says Grainger.
Countdown Balclutha is located at 8-12 Clyde Street, Balclutha, Otago and is open 8am – 9pm, seven days a week.
