236 jobs lost after quake

More than 230 Christchurch residents have been dealt a further blow today, learning they have lost their jobs after the closure of two of the city's supermarkets, which were extensively damaged in Tuesday's earthquake.

Foodstuffs South Island announced that its New World stores in Redcliffs and St Martins would not be reopening after they were extensively damaged in Christchurch's devastating earthquake on Tuesday.

This left 236 full and part-time workers out of work.

Foodstuffs South Island chief executive Steve Anderson said it was an "incredibly distressing'' time for the stores' owners their staff as well as the local communities they serve.

Each staff member would receive a redundancy payment equivalent to two months of their earnings and full-time staff would also be given a $500 shopping voucher and part-time employees a $250 voucher.

"We hope this will go some way to help staff provide for their families during these challenging times,'' Mr Anderson said.

Foodstuffs would also be offering each employee access to a specialist employment advisor.

"Where possible, Foodstuffs South Island will find positions for these people in other Foodstuffs' businesses. If no position is available, the specialist advisor will work with the staff members to help them find employment elsewhere,'' he said.

Foodstuffs was committed to rebuilding the stores but this would likely be a lengthy process, Mr Anderson said.

National Distribution Union (NDU) retail secretary Maxine Gay told NZPA it was saddened by the loss of the stores and hoped it was not the start of further job losses.

"We are very saddened by the loss of any jobs and are concerned that this might be the beginning of an avalanche.''

She called on the Government not to tax Christchurch worker's redundancy packages considering it could be the last payment they receive for some time.