Foodstuffs

Foodstuffs (officially Foodstuffs (NZ) Ltd) is a group of two New Zealand grocery and liquor retailers' cooperatives based in the North Island and the South Island which collectively control an estimated 52% of the New Zealand grocery market. The group owns retail franchises Four Square, New World and Pak'nSave, in-store private labels Pam's and Budget, and a ten percent stake in The Warehouse. The effective duopoly in New Zealand's supermarket industry means that Foodstuffs' only real competitor is Australian supermarket chain Progressive Enterprises.

History

The first Foodstuffs co-operative was formed in Auckland in 1922. On 6 July 1922, Foodstuffs founder J Heaton Barker called together members of the Auckland Master Grocers' Association to discuss plans for the formation of a co-operative buying group. The buying group expanded in 1925 with the introduction of Four Square branding on members' stores. Similar co-operatives were set up in other parts of the country, with Wellington commencing also in 1922, Christchurch in 1928 and Dunedin in 1948. Initially the buying groups traded under different names but in 1935, the name Foodstuffs was applied to all the original co-operatives.