Holy guacamole: Avocados 9c each at Hastings Pak 'n Save

Thursday, 21 October 2021

A Hawke’s Bay supermarket is offering what could be the country’s cheapest avocados, at just 9 cents each.

But shoppers will have to be quick to stock up, with the deal at Hastings Pak ‘n Save running for one day only and purchases limited to 10 avos per household.

Avocado prices are lower than usual this year, due to a large crop and lower demand from hospitality businesses due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Across town, rival supermarket chain Countdown was advertising avocados for $1.20 each or three for $3.

Hastings Pak 'n Save is selling avocados for just 9c each.

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While the bargain-basement prices are a boon for consumers, New Zealand Avocado chief executive Jen Scoular last week said this would be one of the toughest seasons the industry had experienced in the last decade.

“On the positive side, we've got a good crop, we've got a good volume, but we're faced with those global disruptions,” she told RNZ.

“The New Zealand market is also very impacted. We oversupplied the New Zealand market early on and that meant that values took a tumble.”

Market research showed about 30 per cent of New Zealanders did not buy avocados, but Scoular hoped the lower prices on offer this season would help entice them.

“We're certainly working on increasing the demand for avocados in the New Zealand market this season.”

Hastings Pak ’n Save has earned a reputation for occasionally offering extremely low prices. In March, the supermarket was selling tomatoes for 9c a kilogram and in June it launched a 50c “aisl e of value”.