Price war beckons as The Warehouse starts selling rapid antigen tests

Tuesday, 1 March 2022

RATs are now available through The Warehouse online store.

The Warehouse has begun selling rapid antigen tests (RATs) online, and will soon begin stocking them in its Red Sheds and Warehouse Stationery stores.

RATs have become the primary method of testing in phase three of the Covid-19 response, and are becoming increasingly widely sold.

Already RATs can be bought at the Chemist Warehouse and many pharmacies, including Countdown pharmacies, but The Warehouse’s entrance to the market could trigger a drop in the costs of tests.

Jonathan Waecker, Warehouse Group chief customer officer, said the RAT kits it was selling cost $31.99 for a pack of five.

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Chemist Warehouse was charging $44.99 for its five-test RAT kits, made by the same manufacturer.

The Warehouse has begun stocking Covid tests.

From next week shoppers at Foodstuffs supermarkets would be able to buy a five-pack of tests for $32.99, which is $6.60 per test.

Chemist Warehouse is selling its kits for $44.99.

“We’re working as quickly as we can to have these tests available for customers in The Warehouse and Warehouse stationery stores nationwide by next week”, Waecker said.

“All of The Warehouse stores offer a contactless click and collect service, and we will be prioritising RAT orders to have them sent out and available for collection as quickly as possible,” he said.

The Warehouse has set a limit of five RAT kits per purchaser in a bid to prevent people stockpiling.

RATs are being used by both households and businesses to check for Covid infections.

The Warehouse online store said its Orient Gene Covid-19 Rapid Antigen Test kit was a rapid diagnosis product that allowed detection of coronavirus antibodies 24 to 48 hours after infection with a nasal sample.

The RAT kits were approved by the Ministry of Health, it said.

Others selling RAT kits from the same manufacturer include Pharmacy Direct, which was selling 20-test kits for $234.

Life Pharmacy was selling five-test RAT kits from a different manufacturer for $49.95.

People can still go to their local testing centre or GP for a free test if they are symptomatic or a household contact of someone with Covid-19, and from March 1, the Ministry of Health will be sending free RAT kits to household contacts.

On February 24, director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield and Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins said the Government expected the public would be able to purchase their own antigen tests from March.