Supermarket halts shopping trials

Press, 8 March 1989, Page 1

Supermarket halts shopping trials

By GLEN PERKINSON An inevitable showdown with trade unions may have stopped a Christchurch supermarket chain opening its store last week-end for the first of several Sunday trading trial runs. In a brief statement yesterday, Super Value Supermarkets, owned by the GUS Group, said: “SuperValue has considered opening for Sunday trading but has no firm plans to do so at present.” A spokesman for GUS said the company would not expand on the short statement. “Neither would he comment on reasons why the firm would not try Sunday trading immediately. GUS had considered opening seven days “in light of Foodtown (Auckland) trading on Sundays.”

The Southern Distribution Workers’ Union, supermarket workers’ advocates, said it would fight any Christchurch store which intended to open. It was

aware of Super Value’s attempt. The Labour Department’s Shop Trading Division said it was aware that a Christchurch supermarket had planned to open on Sundays. A union officer, Mr Bernie O’Brien, said it would seek a Labour Court injunction to halt any supermarket, or other nondairy stores, opening on Sundays. Another supermarket executive said yesterday that union trouble and high wage costs were likely factors in a chain deciding against Sunday trading. Mr Mike Prendergast, general manager of Countdown Supermarkets, said shop workers’ unions were expected to “put up a fight over Sunday trading.” He said Countdown would not begin Sunday trading. If an attempt by the New Brighton District ’ Business Association to get a sanction

from the Shop Trading Hours’ Commission for Sunday trading in New Brighton was successful, Countdown there would support the move and open. The association met last evening and voted to renew its attempt to get New Brighton retailers open seven days a week. Christchurch’s other big supermarket group, New World, said it had not considered Sunday opening “at this stage.” Mr Prendergast questioned the interest in Sunday supermarket shopping in Christchurch. “There would be interest in the first instance but we believe that would taper off. Whereas Auckland has the population to sustain it, I wonder if Christchurch does,” he said. A Labour Department officer said as long as a supermarket did not sell goods restricted to Monday to Saturday trading, the shop would not be breaking the law.