NZSale makes a comeback - and will need to offer some ‘showstopper’ deals: Analyst
Tuesday, 3 March 2026
NZSale is making a comeback.
The online outlet shopping platform closed down in November during ownership by MySale, under Accent Group. At the time it was said to have faced intense competition from international bargain sites.
However, new owner ‒ and the original founder ‒ British entrepreneur Jamie Jackson and his company has acquired the business and is looking to relaunch the platform, which sold a wide range of high-end goods from brands such as Ralph Lauren and Guess at a fraction of the original prices.
The Post has approached Jackson for comment.
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NZSale operated in New Zealand as an online fashion and lifestyle shopping platform from 2009. It operated in Australia as OzSale and Singapore as SingSale. Its Australian business wound up at the end of January.
In recent years, and ahead of the retailer’s closure in New Zealand, NZSale was the subject of complaints from customers, about lengthy delays for order deliveries ‒ and some that never turned up.
In recent years outlet shopping has faced a renewed surge in popularity, as New Zealand shoppers navigate rising costs and seek branded goods at further discounted prices.
In an email to its subscribers, NZSale announced it was to begin operating again and that it was “entering a new chapter under new ownership of the former owner and founder of NZSale, Jamie Jackson” and his company Fraser Group.
“The brand will be back with bigger deals, sharper pricing and a renewed focus on premium fashion and lifestyle brands for Australia and New Zealand,” the company said at the end of last week.
It also said: “As part of the sale of the NZSale business and brand, your details will be securely transferred to the new owner so that the business can continue operating and providing member offers.”
No further details about the relaunch were given, and Fraser Group has been contacted for comment.
NZSale, as part of MySale Group, was founded in 2007 by Carl Jackson and Jamie Jackson to offer 'flash sales' on surplus branded fashion and beauty products. It operated as a wholly owned subsidiary of OZSale Pty Ltd.
Retail expert Chris Wilkinson, managing director First Retail Group, said he believed NZSale still had a place in the market.
The new owner of NZsale would have purchased the database, Wilkinson said, adding that they would likely “want to leverage this while people still remember the brand”. However, he said it would need to offer a compelling offer to win back shoppers.
“To relaunch the new owners will need to pull some 'showstopper' deals in order to be relevant and set the tone,” Wilkinson said.
“Based on the success of previous promotions, they'll know what these need to be, however, it won't necessarily be easy as there are so many channels out there now ‒ more than when NZSale first launched.”
The site uses bulk purchases to get deals for customers. A sale usually lasts for a few days, and at its end the purchases are collated and sent to the supplier.
Delivery times depended on where in the world the stock was coming from.
In 2020, the Commerce Commission said the consumer watchdog had received 46 complaints about NZSale relating to undelivered items or delays with delivery since January 2018.
Wilkinson said the NZSale model and similar discount sites were “an economical way to reach markets, although some of the commercial drivers that helped this model gain ground initially ‒ such as supplier overstocks ‒ are less prevalent these days as greater efficiencies and different distribution models mean fewer companies are caught with excess inventory”.
Discount and voucher platform GrabOne has also relaunched, after facing difficulties in the market, and has employed one of the platform’s original employees as head of the platform to lead the charge.
Jonty Hodge, chief executive of new owner Paradigm Group, said GrabOne once made revenue upwards of $100 million, with 1000 businesses using the site. GrabOne was aiming to win back business and launch new offerings on the platform, he said.
Juanita Neville-Te Rito of RX Group said to be successful in the market, NZSale and GrabOne would need to offer more than flash sales.
“The first thing we need to unpack is why the model faltered the first time. It was not an awareness problem. These brands were known. It was a structural problem,” Neville-Te Rito told The Post.
“NZSale and GrabOne were built on urgency and distressed inventory. Limited time. Deep discount. Buy now or miss out. That worked in an earlier phase of e-commerce when deal hunting felt novel and exciting. But the market has matured and customers still want value, they just do not necessarily want distressed stock, long wait times or unpredictable experiences,” she said.
“Flash sale alone is no longer enough of a differentiator.
“If NZSale relaunches, it needs to be clear about what role it plays in that broader value ecosystem, or is it just a discount aggregator hoping urgency will do the heavy lifting again … in a market where value is embedded across so many channels, what gap is NZSale actually filling, because the consumer does not need more ways to find distressed stock.
“If it assumes the market is still operating on 2012 deal mechanics, it will struggle. Retail has evolved and value has evolved with it. Any comeback has to prove it understands that.”