Faith in Canterbury

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32565, 26 March 1971, Page 6

Faith in Canterbury

The Four Square organisation in building a $1 million food distribution centre—the second largest in New Zealand—at Northcote is displaying its faith in the province of Canterbury. The group of independent grocers is placing its faith in the future expansion of the province and, in particular, metropolitan Christchurch, by placing the 120,000 square-foot building on a site of 13| acres thus allowing the food centre to be extended to three times its size and still leave acres for parking.

The food centre will be officially opened this evening before 950 guests. Speakers will include the Minister of Tourism, Broadcasting and Publicity (Mr Walker) and Sir James Wattie. The co-operative wholesaling company Foodstuffs (Christchurch), Ltd, entirely owned by 315 grocery shop and supermarket proprietors, in financing the modern

food distribution centre, is looking to the future. The grocers, who are independent, have shops in North, Mid and South Canterbury, Westland, Buller, Nelson and Marlborough. The modem food distribution centre, where the handling of goods will be by conveyors, fork-lift trucks and lorries, has been built to meet the demands of modem marketing which can no longer be conducted on a hit-and-miss system. Stream - lining and efficiency of bulk buying, bulk handling and distribution must keep pace with fierce competition in the grocery trade which is increasing . . . and increasing. To-day’s methods of shopping by the consumer is far away from the day when all the housewives walked to the

corner store and the country customers arrived by horse and trap. The housewife now has a car—and if her husband won’t give her his, he does the ' grocery shopping. In many cases, she is a working housewife, who wants speed of service, the widest possible choice of goods with increasing emphasis on “instant” preparations. And, of course, the housewife wants all this at the cheapest possible prices. Thus it is the housewife who sets the pace and calls the tune—and the Four Square organisation must anticipate the trends and provide the services almost before the consumers have realised what new services they desire. The distribution food centre must give better buying and speedier

service in wholesaling and delivery to the retailer if the retailer is to keep abreast of the housewives’ wants. Thus was born the concept of the vast centre now built adjacent to the Ovaltine factory—a site with direct access to the road tunnel and Lyttelton—(down Cran-

ford Street) because a large quantity of groceries in bulk are shipped to Christchurch. Easy access is also provided to the railway goods sheds, and the airport. The site is also ideal for the goods going out of the store to shops, north, west, east and south. Four Square stores of Foodstuffs (Christchurch) Ltd, extend from Bruce Bay to

Karamea and from Nelson to Waimate. In | Christchurch they in- 1 elude eight New World I Supermarkets, all independently owned, and all members of the cooperative. The Four Square Canterbury group began in Christchurch 43 years ago, in 1928. At the start, there were 20 shops. Forward looking grocers then realised the competition that could come from combines, illustrated by moves . overseas particularly in Britain and the United . States. In the last financial • year, Foodstuffs (Christi church), Ltd, sold $12.5 ; million of wholesale , goods to its retail meml bers. The company employs 117 persons in s Christchurch and 59 in - its branches. It runs a I fleet of 28 trucks and > vans and 17 cars. s

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