After the sailing adventure of a lifetime, new owner operators of On the Spot Meadows in Richmond are excited to switch the sea for dry land and take the reins of the brand-new store.
Craig and Karen Bishop-Everett returned to the top of the South at the end of last year after four years of fulltime sailing abroad. The couple travelled to 15 countries, including Fiji, the US, Mexico, French Polynesia, Tahiti, American Samoa, New Caledonia, Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Prior to embarking on the trip, Craig and Karen owned On the Spot Collingwood and Take Note Tākaka. They always knew they’d return home to serve their community as local grocers again.
“The whole time we were away, on a Tuesday, I would say to Karen, ‘it’s delivery day today’, because Tuesday was our Foodies delivery day when we would get our weekly stock for the store,” Craig says.
So, when the opportunity came up for Craig and Karen to return to the area and open On the Spot Meadows, the only convenience store serving the Meadows subdivision, it just seemed meant to be.
“We’ve always loved the grocery industry and we’re so excited to be back in this beautiful part of the country to serve our local community,” Karen says.
Craig described the parallels between sailing and the grocery business: “It’s pretty fast-moving and every action has an immediate consequence, much like retail.”
In the last few weeks, they’ve been adding the finishing touches to the store, and gearing up for the highly anticipated opening of On the Spot Meadows on Tuesday 18 June.
Ahead of the store opening, they’ve had numerous messages of support and encouragement from the Meadows community, which is home to around 5000 residents.
“People have been telling us they’ve been hanging out for us to open, and that the area will really benefit from having a local store serving the subdivision,” Karen says.
“We’re excited to be a part of the community and contribute however we can,” Craig says. “The one thing we missed about being away from New Zealand, apart from friends and family, was doing our bit for the community. This is why we came back. It’s our thing, it’s what drives us.”
On the Spot Meadows is a 250sqm retail space located in the middle of the Meadows subdivision and has shared car parking with the café and boutique pub next door. The store will provide employment for 8-10 team members and stock a full range of basic supermarket items for customers. There will be around 2000 product lines including grocery, produce, chilled, frozen, meat, and food-to-go sections, such as hot chicken, sandwiches and sweet treats.
Craig has around 30 years’ experience in the grocery industry. A butcher by trade, Craig says he started his Foodstuffs journey towards store ownership on day one of his apprenticeship at New World Southmall in Manurewa, South Auckland. He’s worked his way up across various roles at a number of stores including New World Waiuku and PAK’nSAVE Glen Innes, Wairau and Manukau, and completed an Executive Master of Business Administration with Massey University.
Craig and Karen look forward to connecting with the community when they open On the Spot Meadows on Tuesday 18 June.
