Are all Nicola Willis’ supermarket duopoly-breaking options really on the table?

Are all Nicola Willis’ supermarket duopoly-breaking options really on the table?
Willis is considering “structural separation” to get a competitor in the country. (Image: Mark Mitchell)
Gregor Thompson
When Finance Minister Nicola Willis announced the next steps to “deliver better grocery prices for Kiwis” on Sunday, she said she was “putting all options on the table”. To reduce the two Foodstuffs co-operatives and Woolworths’ hold on the market, she has asked officials to contact firms already in the New Zealand market, such as Costco and the Warehouse, as well as overseas operators, such as Coles, Aldi and Lidl. Short of finding a willing entrant in the current market conditions, Willis said she is pr...

More Retail

Restaurant Brands ‘does not seem to care’: Shareholder
Retail

Restaurant Brands ‘does not seem to care’: Shareholder

At the fiery annual meeting, a shareholder called the Californian market a ‘sinkhole’.

Gregor Thompson 23 May 2025
Retail activity looking perkier
Retail

Retail activity looking perkier

Retail activity rose in the March quarter, according to Stats NZ’s latest Retail Trade Survey. The total volume of seasonally adjusted retail sales was $25 billion for the March 2025 quarter compared with the December 2024 quarter, up 0.8%, while the total value of seasonally adj...

Staff reporters 23 May 2025
My Food Bag shares up 8% as sales growth returns
Retail

My Food Bag shares up 8% as sales growth returns

CEO Mark Winter says demand is picking up.

Gregor Thompson 22 May 2025
Smith & Caughey’s to close
Retail

Smith & Caughey’s to close

Auckland’s flagship department store Smith & Caughey’s will close for good within 10 weeks, with the loss of almost 100 jobs.A rescue attempt to save the famous retailer – which saw it close its Newmarket store last year and reduce the floor space of its ‘Grande Dame’ Queen St bu...

NZME 21 May 2025