New World (supermarket)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

New World is a New Zealand supermarket chain and is part of the Foodstuffs cooperative. New World supermarkets tend to be smaller and more upsacle than larger warehouse-type supermarkets (e.g. Countdown and Pak'n Save). They are also more numerous throughout New Zealand, with many small towns having a New World. New World has been a member of the FlyBuys program since that program stared in September 1996. New World is also one of New Zealand's longest running supermarkets, having started in the 1950s. Some stores such as the Island Bay New World employ a number of young workers and have poor levels of pay, often just minimum wage. Wage increases frequently occur when an employee turns eightteen and becomes a adult on minimum wage. Few New World employees belong to a union and the oppotunity to do so is not offered or discussed.

New World traditionally advertises with a circular, delivered weekly to mailboxes, and containing discounts and specials. The cost of presentation and large employee numbers (often between two and three hundred in their larger stores) makes the average price at New World slightly higher than at some other supermarkets. One of the hallmarks of New World are their "Auto-Coupons", which are much like regular coupons but come off automatically at the register without a customer having to present a cut-out coupon as they would at most other Supermarkets.

In early 2003 New World helped introduce Superbank, a completely electronic banking network aimed at saving customers money. While New World Supermarkets had much advertising for the service in their stores, Superbank didn't have any physical services inside the store. In August 2006 it was announced that after heavy losses Superbank would be shut down and have its portfolio sold to GE Money.