After eight years of planning, development and construction, the brand-new, long-awaited Countdown Awapuni has opened its doors to Palmerston North locals this week.
The 3,565sqm Countdown Awapuni store has been built to meet the needs of the community with a modern look and feel, extensive fresh foods section, in-store bakery, cellar and a purpose-built space for online customers to pick up their orders.
Matt Grainger, Countdown’s Director of Property, says the new store has certainly been well worth the wait and is looking forward to seeing the Palmerston North locals getting to enjoy the much-anticipated store.
“There’s a lot of history behind Countdown Awapuni. We first purchased the site right back in 2014, so it’s been quite a while in the making! We do think it’s been worth the wait and hopefully locals agree!
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be part of the future of the Awapuni community and we’re really grateful to both the Council for their support of the new store and to our customers who have waited patiently through the construction process.
“Not only is Countdown Awapuni a fantastic place to shop, it’s also doing its part to help protect the planet. It features some of our latest sustainability initiatives including electronic shelf labels to reduce paper use, electric vehicle charging stations and bike racks for customers choosing lower emission transport, a transcritical refrigeration system, and doors on fridges to reduce energy use and lower carbon emissions,” says Grainger.
Mayor of Palmerston North City, Grant Smith, says Countdown Awapuni is a fantastic addition to Palmerston North.
“Along with the recent lower North Island Distribution Centre, it’s been great working with Countdown to develop this wonderful, modern supermarket for our Awapuni and South West suburbs shoppers. We acknowledge their investment and I’m really delighted by the thoughtfulness that both Council and Countdown have put into creating this space. It really feels like it’s been designed for the needs of our Awapuni community,” Mayor Smith says.
Countdown Awapuni is located at 520-524 Pioneer Highway, Awapuni and is open 7am – 10pm, seven days a week. Countdown Awapuni is part of the wider Kikiwhenua Retail Centre, with the second stage of development turning the area into a community hub with additional retail shops and a cafe in front of the supermarket.
