New World Victoria Park: Nine months post-blaze, rebuild application not lodged

Foodstuffs has referred customers to the newly-built $73 million New World Pt Chevalier, which is 2700sq m.

But the shoppers say that is some distance from where they live and they now lack a larger store like their old one.

Their closest alternative is the far smaller $30m Woolworths Metro Herne Bay, they say.

Steve Purton, New World Victoria Park owner/operator, said today the Foodstuffs team was working hard to keep momentum up.

“We’re going at full pace on the design. We’ve engaged local architects and construction partners to bring the new store to life,” Purton said.

“As always for these projects, there’s a lot happening behind the scenes and it’s great to see it coming together.”

A Foodstuffs spokesman said many different parts of planning the project were progressing simultaneously.

“This is all focused on getting a new supermarket built and open for the community as soon as possible.”

Rebuild plans were moving into the next stage, with design work well underway and consents being prepared, the spokesman said.

The Foodstuffs team was engaging with the council on consenting requirements and timeframes to ensure the store could be opened as soon as possible, he said.

“To help speed things up, the team plans to construct the structure and envelope of the store while continuing to refine the internal design.”

Purton said this was a practical way to go faster.

“By getting approval for the structure and exterior first, we can start building sooner. At the same time, we’ll keep refining the inside of the store, so it delivers a great experience when it opens.”

The replacement store would be a similar size to the burnt one, yet more efficient and easier to shop at.

The interior design is expected to be in the new-look style of other New Worlds: dark exterior, extensive interior LED light use, darker interiors, polished concrete floors and wood-finish shelving.

“This will be a modern, fresh-looking store. It will be brighter and easier to move around in. We’re planning to update the layout and finishes so it feels contemporary and welcoming, while still fitting in with the neighbourhood,” Purton said.

The official investigation into the fire found the fire alarm system did not activate automatically and “may not have functioned as designed”.

The report by Fire and Emergency New Zealand specialist investigator Colin Paul Melville redacted the fire cause and declared it was accidental.

“Information available at the time of investigation would suggest that the system may not have functioned as designed and had been isolated pre-incident,” his report said of the alarm.

Instead of the alarm going off automatically, a manual fire activation was received on June 17.

Last July, Foodstuffs retail and property general manager Lindsay Rowles said the store would not reopen for about two years – not until 2027.

Complete demolition of the building was not envisaged. Instead, the existing three-level store at 2 College Hill, Freemans Bay could possibly be repaired, Rowles said then.

In December, he was announced as the new Mitre 10 CEO, based at Albany.

Last year, Rowles said of the 189 staff who worked at New World Victoria Park that more than 100 had met with owner/operators of 23 other stores and had been offered new jobs.

“Over 100 of those have already engaged in employment in our stores. It’s been great to see how the co-op pulls together and looks after its own,” he said last year.

Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 26 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.