Foodstuffs pledges at least $1m in donations, recognises 'privilege' of trading

Monday, 13 April 2020

Foodstuffs North Island chief executive Chris Quin says supermarkets have a privilege and a responsibility in being allowed to continue to trade through the Covid-19 level four lockdown – and the co-operative plans to give back to New Zealand to help it through.

Foodstuffs' brands – New World, Pak'n Save, Four Square, Gilmours and Trents – have committed to donate more than $1 million to help New Zealanders who are facing tough times due to the impact of coronavirus.

Quin said the outbreak of coronavirus would be a health and economic crisis for the country, and the move was part of Foodstuffs' efforts to address the financial pain it caused.

Foodstuffs has already donated $80,000 via New World to support the innovative Student Volunteer Army initiative which helps get groceries to homebound elderly and vulnerable individuals. This service is currently available in Hamilton, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin, and has expanded to Auckland this week.

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Last week, Foodstuffs North Island announced a $100,000 contribution to kickstart an Eat My Lunch initiative to deliver food packs, containing a week's worth of ingredients for lunches, to the homes of the 2000 children who used to benefit from its social programme across schools in Auckland and Wellington.

Quin said Foodstuffs wanted to help by focusing on what it was good at, which was getting groceries and good to people. It would also work through how it could help City Mission and food banks around the country.

Foodstuffs North Island chief executive Chris Quin says the co-operative has a role to play in helping New Zealand back on its feet.

He said Foodstuffs saw that it had a big role to play in how New Zealand would come through the economic downturn that resulted from Covid-19 disruption.

'We recognise that we have a privilege and a responsibility to trade.'

Easter trade was up 20 per cent to 30 per cent on Easter last year, he said. Although people were not stocking up for trips away or family gatherings, supermarket sales were up because they were serving most of New Zealanders' food needs.

Quin said Foodstuffs had added 1500 employees since Covid-19 hit New Zealand and was paying frontline staff 10 per cent more during the period.

'We are grateful for the patience and kindness New Zealanders are showing as we continue to navigate these challenging times together,' said Steve Anderson, chief executive of Foodstuffs South Island. 'We are committed to our responsibility to feed New Zealand, and we look forward to working with our partners over the coming weeks to provide them with meaningful financial and practical support.

'We're also in close contact with our food bank partners who have been impacted by the lockdown as New Zealanders stay at home and who are unable to give through normal channels,' Anderson said.

'We're helping get products so they can meet the increase in demand many of them have seen from the vulnerable individuals they support.'

Quin said information would be made public on what money had been donated, and to whom, by the end of April.