Bradley Patton, the new owner operator of New World Wigram, is bringing his passion for innovation and nutrition to the city of Christchurch. Bradley and his wife Rebecca moved to Wigram from New World Elles Road in Invercargill, a store his family owned and operated for 3 years. After spearheading several community-focused projects, including a complete store refurbishment, Bradley says he was ready for his next challenge.
“I’ve loved my time at New World Elles Road, and I’ve built a real connection with the community at Invercargill, but I’ve always been about challenging myself from a personal development point of view,” Bradley says.
“It’s a good time for my three young children as well. It will be good to make this change now and settle in before they get older.
“We’re looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that Christchurch offers. We know it’s a city with a strong sense of community, and we’re eager to get involved.”
As a member of Healthy Families Invercargill Leadership Group for the last 8 years, Bradley has successfully implemented a number of initiatives like expanding his store’s fresh produce options and creating a smoke-free car park.
“As a supermarket owner, I felt I was in the position to encourage and facilitate as many nutritious options in our store as I could,” he says.
“That’s something I’m keen to continue doing at the new store. I’m planning on hearing from the community about what they’re looking for from the store.
Bradley brings with him a wealth of experience to the role. He’s a second-generation grocer – his parents owned New World Elles Road for 30 years, and he’s owned and operated it for eight. He started his career in FMCG in a supplier role, but jumped over to retail and store ownership when his parents began looking at retirement.
“Retail is a place full of energy and people. You have your own team that you can develop, and that amazing connection with the community that you’re serving.
In 2016, Bradley led an extensive multi-year renovation at New World Elles Road, to bring the store into the modern era and custom built it for his community’s needs.
While he’s not ruling out future upgrades for New World Wigram, Bradley says the store in its current state is beautiful, modern, and well run.
“I definitely don’t want to get started on anything huge in the first few months!” he says.
“I want to understand the team and what’s working and what’s not working first. Grand designs and big dreams will come later once we’ve got our foot in the door.”
Bradley made the move from Invercargill last month as he got set up at the new store. Rebecca and his three kids will be joining him at the end of August.
“I’m a very hands-on owner, so customers can expect to see me around heaps. My parents taught me this way and I want to keep that going!
“I expect to be in Christchurch for a really long time. My family and I are excited about our future and the city’s future.”
