Progressive Enterprises
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Progressive Enterprises | |
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| Type of Company | Limited liability company |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1992 |
| Headquarters | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Industry | Retail |
| Employees | 18,000 |
| Parent | Woolworths Limited |
| Website | http://www.progressive.co.nz/ |
Progressive Enterprises Limited is a New Zealand company, and a subsidiary of the Australian retail group Woolworths Limited. It is New Zealand's second-largest grocer, with a 45% market share, behind the cooperative group Foodstuffs, making New Zealand a classical retail duopoly.
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[edit] Company history
Progressive acquired the New Zealand supermarket group Woolworths Supermarkets NZ in 2002, following a lengthy Competition Commission adjudication [1] and court battle with competitor Foodstuffs that ended in the Privy Council ruling[2] for Progressive.
On 25 May 2005 it was announced that Woolworths Limited, one of Australia's largest retailers, would be purchasing Progressive along with 22 Action stores in Australia. The deal was worth approximately NZ$2.5 billion and culminated in the official transfer of assets on 24 November 2005.
In 2006, company workers at three distribution centres initiated industrial action in an attempt to win a collective employment agreement and pay rise [3]. The company responded by suspending grocery distribution centre operations and allowing suppliers to send stock directly to supermarkets [4].
[edit] Store brands
Progressive runs the following grocery store chains:
- Woolworths: 64 supermarket stores nationwide
- Countdown: 55 discounter supermarket stores, including a number of rebranded "Big Fresh" stores following the Progressive takeover of Woolworths Supermarkets NZ
- Foodtown: 30 supermarket stores nationwide
- SuperValue: 30 South Island small stores, run as a franchise
- Fresh Choice: 11 South Island small stores, run as a franchise
It operates internet grocery stores in the name of Woolworths Home Shopping [5] and Foodtown Online [6].
[edit] See also
- 2006 Progressive Enterprises dispute (pay dispute resulting in industrial action at several distribution centres)
[edit] References
"Supermarket workers vote on strike" NewstalkZB/XtraMSN, August 26 2006, retrieved August 29 2006
"Supermarket suspends distribution centres" NewstalkZB/XtraMSN, August 29 2006, retrieved August 29 2006
