The owners of Rolleston Pak'nSave had a sweet start to life in Selwyn, recording 34,000 transactions a week since opening.
The $40 million supermarket sold 819,000 items and saw 41,000 shopping trips during its opening week last month.
Iced donuts, chocolate bars, avocados and bananas were among the most popular items sold.
- The most popular bakery item was iced donuts with 6714 being sold.
- The highest selling category was chocolate/novelty selections with 65,166 flying off the shelves.
- In produce, bananas topped the charts with 38,163 being sold. Avocados were second at 34,000, surpassing tomatoes and broccoli.
- The leading meat category was chicken breast, with 28,242 scanned through the tills.
Rolleston Pak'nSave owners Phill and Sarah Blackburn's journey towards building and operating the South Island’s largest supermarket started out at Balclutha New World. They then worked their way up to Ilam New World before taking over Riccarton Pak'nSave.
Sarah said "it’s been a whirlwind first month" at the new Rolleston supermarket.
"There have been some great moments and some very humbling moments and every day we get a little more streamlined.
Blackburn said last month she could not have foreseen opening the $40 million supermarket when the couple first started out in the industry.
"But I'm not surprised - I think the journey rewards people who give back and who are passionate about communities and others, and I think that sums Phillip and I up."
Blackburn spent her wedding anniversary working on last-minute preparations days before the grand opening. The supermarket opened two months ahead of schedule.
They aim to cater for the ongoing population growth in Rolleston, with Foodstuffs working to futureproof the building, Blackburn said.
"They've thought so carefully about that - they've built something here that will genuinely last the distance. It's built to accommodate future growth in a sustainable way."
Blackburn said one of the standouts so far had been Selwyn’s penchant for treats.
“There’s definitely a sweet tooth streak running through Selwyn, but it’s great to see so many families stocking up on the basics too.
"It really shows how our store is already part of people’s everyday routines.”
The next four Sundays were their busiest days of the week by 60%, reflecting a community of families.
Rolleston shoppers had also been quick to embrace technology. About 60% of week one transactions were made at the store’s 29 self-checkout lanes, and SHOP’nGO customers made up nearly 11% of all transactions.
It has now also added an online service.
"We’re incredibly proud to be part of the Rolleston community.
"We’re loving getting to know the locals and doing our part to offer New Zealand’s lowest food prices."
