You’ve heard of the Oscars, but there’s another big-name celebration that celebrates the 200 Four Square Owner operators who help serve even the most remote of New Zealand communities with the essentials, The Charlies Awards.
Held during Foodstuffs North Island’s Annual Four Square conference that recently took place in Tauranga the Charlies Awards, named after ‘Cheeky Charlie’ the face of the iconic Kiwi brand, acknowledges the local stores that went above and beyond to serve their customers.
The judging process was based on various criteria ranking from, service, hospitality, growth, and performance.
The categories and winners of the Charlies Awards are:
- Rookie of the Year – Mahesh Goswami, owner operator Ōtaki Beach, South Taranaki
- Fresh Store of the Year – Hamish Townshend, Four Square Mangawhai Heads, Northland
- Growth Store of the Year – Ant Pedersen, Four Square Kaiwaka, Northland
All Four Square owner operators who joined the Foodstuffs North Island co-op in in 2021 were contenders for the Rookie of the Year Award but it was Mahesh Goswam of Four Square Ōtaki Beach took out the prize.
Mahesh, who has been working at Foodstuffs for 10 years says he’s delighted to put his experience into play in his very own store.
“I’ve worked across all of the Foodstuffs’ wonderful banners but there’s always been something special about Four Square and I’m pleased to be a part of this very special group of local owner-operators throughout the North Island. “
Northland’s Four Square Mangawhai Heads won ‘Fresh Store of the Year’ for their high-quality fresh produce offering. Owner operator, Hamish Townsend says it’s a real pleasure to be acknowledged for their hard work.
“We are stoked that our fresh offering has been recognised as being truly standout, we pride ourselves on delivering our customers the very best shopping experience so it’s pretty special to be recognised for that.”
The Growth Store of the Year Award is the accolade for the store in the Foodstuffs North Island Four Square group that has grown their sales in their store the most, something which owner operator of Four Square Kaiwaka Ant Pedersen says is the community’s way of acknowledging the hard work the team has put in.
“We’ve worked really hard in the last year and put a lot into the store so it’s special to see this effort bear fruit. Not only with this award but with the locals loving what we’re doing with the store.”
Claire Gourley, Four Square North Island’s Retail Marketing Manager, says this year’s Charlies Awards have been tightly contested.
“The winners exhibit the best qualities and values of the Four Square brand and the wider grocery industry by putting their 100% effort for the benefit of their customers, team and local community.”
Foodstuffs North Island is committed to becoming the world’s most customer-driven retailer and the Four Square Charlies Awards plays an important part in acknowledging the hard work the teams and owner operators have put into catering their services to community needs.
The co-operative members also took the opportunity to connect over the three-day conference and gain retail insights from expert and inspirational speakers from around the globe.
“The conference was a huge success and the judging process for the Charlies Awards was a fantastic way to commend how our teams are showing up for their customers every day,” Claire finishes.
