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Tag: New Zealand

  • Amazon Australia will now service New Zealand customers as well

    Amazon Australia will now service New Zealand customers as well

    Amazon Australia has broadened its reach in the region, and is now officially offering its services to customers in New Zealand.

    While the online marketplace launched in Australia in 2017, Kiwis have long needed to purchase goods from the US marketplace, according to the business, and will now be able to access faster delivery times from Australia’s warehouses.

    “We are excited to offer Kiwis access to millions of products at great prices,” said Tony Austin, general manager for exports. Delivery will start at NZ$3.20, while parts of Auckland and Christchurch will have the option of expedited delivery for around NZ$7.49.

    This move should help New Zealand brands to access a wider range of the country, if they aren’t able to ship everywhere, by way of listing on Amazon Australia – and will allow more Australian brands to access the New Zealand market.

    It isn’t clear if New Zealand will be able to take part in certain Australian programs, such as the recently announced ‘Amazon Warehouse’ resale platform, or its on-demand paperback printing service ‘Print on Demand’, or if the New Zealand service will be limited to the business’ traditional marketplace offering.

    The service will certainly be able to take advantage of the business’ recently announced Western Sydney robotic fulfilment centre, which is set to “effectively double” Amazon’s operational footprint in Australia.

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  • Kiwi mixer brand East Imperial lists on London exchange

    Kiwi mixer brand East Imperial lists on London exchange

    New Zealand mixer brand East Imperial Company has listed on the London Stock Exchange in a reverse takeover valuing the company at NZ$59.1 million.

    Founder and CEO Tony Burt said the listing marks a significant milestone as the premium mixer brand is set to become one of the global leaders in the mixer category.

    “The team has done an incredible job, and the support we’ve had from all New Zealanders over the past five years or so has laid the foundation for the next chapter in our story. We’re all tremendously proud and excited to be waving the New Zealand flag on the global stage,” said Burt.

    The mixer brand also raised an additional $5.91 million in new funds by placing 30 million shares at 10p each.

    The new funding, said the company, will be used for expansion plans – including building sales teams in the US and China, product development, and maintaining partnerships with liquor brands.

  • Online supermarket concept Supie to launch in Auckland

    Online supermarket concept Supie to launch in Auckland

    Online supermarket Supie is set to open its virtual doors in Auckland next month, aiming to change the way Kiwis shop for groceries.

    The membership-based supermarket will house more than 2500 products sourced from local growers and food producers. Supie also offers sustainable delivery where all packaging is recyclable or reusable. The brand implements zero-waste ordering methods which ensure its customers receive the freshest produce.

    “The majority of the time, when you order your product is still in the ground,” the company says on its website.

    Founded by Sarah Balle, Supie is expected to compete directly with traditional supermarkets, providing a smart and more accessible solution for Kiwis during the post-Covid era.

    “We’re a small team of passionate Kiwis with big ambitions to make a true impact,” said Saral Balle. “We believe food is the most powerful force for change.”

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  • Chubb Names Australia and New Zealand President

    Chubb Names Australia and New Zealand President

    Zurich-headquartered insurer Chubb has appointed a new president for Australia and New Zealand.

    Chubb names Peter Kelaher country president for Australia and New Zealand, according to a statement, succeeding Jarrod Hill who is leaving the firm. Kelaher reports to Paul McNamee, senior vice president of Chubb Group and APAC regional president.

    Kelaher has 20 years of insurance experience and he joined Chubb in 2008 as a financial lines underwriter before being promoted to product manager for directors and officers, and P&C business lead for Australia and New Zealand in 2016.

    Chub has had a presence in Australia and New Zealand for over a century with seven branches and more than 800 staff.

  • Vietnam, New Zealand to expand fruit trade this year

    Vietnam, New Zealand to expand fruit trade this year

    Vietnamese limes and pomelos could be exported to New Zealand soon, following a commitment made Wednesday during the first agricultural dialogue between the two countries.

    The virtual dialogue was co-chaired by Ray Smith, Chief Executive of the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries, and Dr Le Quoc Doanh, Vice Minister of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).

    A New Zealand embassy press release said the two leaders had confirmed their shared commitment to finalizing new fruit access for each other this year, so consumers can enjoy New Zealand strawberries and squash in Vietnam and Vietnam’s limes and pomelos in New Zealand.

    The two sides signed an Agriculture Cooperation Arrangement (ACA) after the dialogue.

    The ACA will enable both sides to advance their key agricultural interests in enhancing bilateral trade, reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, promoting food safety, utilizing agriculture research and technology, and fostering rural development, the release said.

    The New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries is already supporting agriculture cooperation with MARD through activities in plant health, veterinary epidemiology and electronic certification.

    These activities complement New Zealand’s ongoing development program in the country, which has a number of agriculture projects including one on premium fruit development in the southern province of Tien Giang, another on rural dam safety project in central Vietnam, and yet another on safe vegetables in central Binh Dinh Province.

    Smith and Doanh affirmed that the strategic partnership between the two countries has created a solid foundation for increasing bilateral agricultural cooperation and connections.

    Vietnam is New Zealand’s 14th largest trading partner, with two-way trade valued at over $1.4 billion as of September 2020.

    Vietnam has received licenses to export fresh mango, dragon fruit and rambutan to New Zealand so far. It imports apple, kiwi fruit, kiwi berry, blue berry, cherry and persimmons.

  • Startup launches liquor delivery service in Christchurch

    Startup launches liquor delivery service in Christchurch

    Delivery startup Give Me Bread has added liquor delivery in Christchurch along with its restaurant food delivery services.

    To order, the Give Me Bread app allows customers to tap a photograph of what he or she wants and place an order in which the drivers will then deliver directly to the customer’s doorstep in 30 minutes. Orders can also be placed on the retailer’s site.

    Liquor orders can be made with or without meals.

    “Our customers love how easy it is to order their favorite drink in seconds,” said Abhay Pratap, Give Me Bread marketing manager. “We have repeat orders every week from busy professionals who want the simplicity of their favorite beverage arriving at the door – perfect for when visitors arrive unexpectedly.”

    Pratap started the business with Chandhi Jain, the company’s operations manager, in 2017

    “Many people are so busy that some days they just don’t want to spend half an hour making dinner, or another half an hour doing the dishes. That’s where we come in,” Jain said.

    Give Me Bread have dedicated drivers who deliver the liquor and meals all over the city.

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  • Nokia partners with Spark to bring 5G technology to New Zealand

    Nokia partners with Spark to bring 5G technology to New Zealand

    As one of the radio access network (RAN) equipment suppliers for Spark’s 5G upgrade, Nokia will deploy its AirScale RAN solution at more than 200 sites, allowing Spark to target both consumers and enterprises with new services and offers. Nokia will also deploy other products and services from across its end-to-end portfolio including digital design and deployment services.

    Spark New Zealand and Nokia have a long-standing relationship, which crosses multiple domains, including IP, optical and wireless. This new commercial 5G partnership marks the next chapter of the relationship between Spark and Nokia, providing New Zealanders with the technology that enables them to benefit from the fast-evolving digital world economy and applications.

    The agreement follows the launch earlier this year of New Zealand’s first 5G trial customer service. The trial, which took place in Alexandra, South Island, used the latest Nokia radio equipment to offer select business and consumer customers the opportunity to experience high-speed wireless broadband delivered by 5G. Nokia is currently working with Spark to deploy 5G capability to an additional 5 sites before the Christmas period.

    This Spark agreement demonstrates Nokia’s solid 5G momentum, which now reaches 50 commercial 5G contracts globally, including most early adopters. Nokia is currently powering 16 live networks globally.

    Rajesh Singh, General Manager of Value Management at Spark New Zealand, said, “We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with Nokia in building our 5G network across New Zealand. The local teams have collaborated extensively on a 5G solution that delivers on the outcomes we want to drive in 5G, not just in the RAN, but also in the end-to-end network.”

    Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, said, “I am thrilled to see Nokia 5G equipment chosen to power 5G initially in Spark’s heartland areas. We are committed to keeping New Zealanders at the cutting edge of technology and are confident they will benefit from Nokia’s global reach, expertise and agility.

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  • Kathmandu, Cactus Outdoor team up for newly launched NZ Made Day

    Kathmandu, Cactus Outdoor team up for newly launched NZ Made Day

    Kiwi brands Kathmandu and Cactus Outdoor have created a new line of apparel made in New Zealand to celebrate the inaugural NZ Made Day.

    Launching today, NZ Made Day is a new annual event dedicated to celebrating products made by New Zealanders.

    Ryan Jennings, Buy NZ Made’s executive director, said the day will encourage New Zealanders to buy at least one locally made item from retailers or direct from the manufacturer.

    To celebrate the launch, Kathmandu and Cactus Outdoor have teamed up to create the Merino Tee, made by Albion Clothing, a manufacturer purchased by Cactus Outdoor earlier this year. The tee will be sold under Kathmandu’s branding.

    The merino tee has been designed, cut, sewn and packaged in New Zealand with the use of wool farmed in high county stations on the South Island.

    Kathmandu will start selling the tee today in all its New Zealand stores.

    “Brands like Cactus Outdoor and Kathmandu are stronger than ever because they have found their edge with customers by guaranteeing product longevity and customization over generic fast fashion,” Jennings said.

    According to Jennings, in the face of international consumer choice, manufacturers are building direct-to-consumer offerings that complement their retail channels to market.

    “Manufacturers that create direct relationships with consumers can offer customized products or simply pass on the retail savings, something that ‘stack ’em high’ big box retailers importing from overseas may struggle to match,” he said.

    Consumers who purchase any NZ Made products displaying the Kiwi trademark, including two new NZ Made caps released for NZ Made Day, can win one of five $1000 giveaways by texting 313 with the details of the purchase.

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  • Taco Bell launches another outlet in Auckland

    Taco Bell launches another outlet in Auckland

    The first New Zealand Taco Bell store has opened in The Brickworks at New Lynn’s LynnMall, bringing the Mexican-inspired fast-food chain to local shores.

    Launching on Tuesday, the store features a mural paying homage to west Auckland designed in collaboration with local artist Natasha Vermeulen, and design agency Stanley St.

    General manager for Taco Bell Clark Wilson said the business often defied the conventions of fast food, and was excited to bring its social-driven experience to New Zealand.

    The store also features an open kitchen allowing customers to see their food prepared, as well as offering free wifi, charging stations, kiosk ordering, and a self-serve jukebox.

    “We are delighted to finally answer the demand from our passionate fans with the opening of New Zealand’s first Taco Bell restaurant at LynnMall,” said Taco Bell managing director of Asia Pacific Ankush Tuli.

    “We are excited to launch Taco Bell here in Auckland, in partnership with Restaurant Brands Group, and look forward to expanding throughout New Zealand with the goal of delighting our fans along the way.”

    Franchise partner Restaurant Brands said it will launch up to 25 Taco Bell locations across New Zealand in the next five years, with the next restaurant to open in Q1 of next year.

    “While a priority for us has been on first launching the brand successfully in market, we can now shift our focus to the next phase,” Restaurant Brands Group chief executive Russel Creedy said.

    “At this stage, we are securing locations within the main metropolitans of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, with the view to expanding further afield in the coming years.

    “We are simultaneously rolling out in NSW and ACT in Australia, with a total estimated spend of $65 million across both markets over the next five years.”

    Restaurant Brands recently revealed it had grown group sales by 2.7 percent during the first half of FY20, though net profit had fallen 2 percent due to the implementation of a new accounting standard, NZ IFRS 16, which knocked profit down by $2.9 million.

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  • New Zealand Post underpays workers over nine years

    New Zealand Post underpays workers over nine years

    New Zealand Post has revealed it may have underpaid up to 22,000 staff since 2010, and is setting aside $38 million to repay any lost holiday pay.

    “It’s too early to say who exactly may be impacted, but some scenarios that typically result in underpayments are those employees who earn regular overtime or have variable patterns of work,” NZ Post chief financial officer Michael Boersen said.

    “We’ll be able to confirm with individuals who register, and start the back payments from July 2020.”

    The announcement comes after the logistics provider was identified by the ministry of business, innovation and employment as an employer that needed to update how it calculates holiday pay.

    Boerson said that the business has written to 17,000 former employees asking them to register their details, as NZ Post calculates how much it needs to return to workers.

    Gerard Hehir, national secretary of Unite Union, said NZ Post had been through several changes over the last decade, and its possible many members could qualify for back payments.

    NZ Post recently revealed domestic e-commerce players are gaining traction, with over 65 percent of shoppers preferring to purchase directly from local sites as opposed to international players, in its 2019 New Zealand E-commerce Review.

    “Domestic sales growth is outstripping international online sales growth,” said Bryan Dobson, chief marketing officer at NZ Post.

    Additionally, the data showed that Kiwi shoppers are transacting online 10 percent more often on average, compared to 2017.

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  • JB Hi-Fi New Zealand falters while group grows

    JB Hi-Fi New Zealand falters while group grows

    Electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi has seen shares jump 8.3 percent following a strong first-quarter showing, with total group sales growth of 4.7 percent and comparable sales growth of 3.7 percent.

    However, the business’ New Zealand arm didn’t reach the highs of first quarter FY19, with total and comparable sales growth of 3.8 percent compared to 4 percent total and 9.8 percent comparable in the prior corresponding period.

    The business reaffirmed it would reach its FY20 sales target of A$7.25 billion, including $240 million in New Zealand.

    “As we have said before, retailing is a dynamic and exciting industry and JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys are market leaders in their respective sectors,” JB Hi-Fi Group chief executive Richard Murray said at the group’s AGM on Thursday.

    “In JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys, we believe we have two unique and relevant brands, particularly in the eyes of our customers.

    “With a customer-focused business model built on a diverse product offering, deep relationships with our suppliers, a high-quality multichannel offer and exceptional customer service, we are confident we will maintain our market-leading competitive position.”

    The retail group experienced pressure from shareholder groups last week over the implementation of its remuneration report, which the Australian Shareholders’ Association and ISS Governance Services recommending a vote against the report.

    However, the vote passed on Thursday, with 82 percent voting to adopt the revised report and 17 percent voting against – avoiding the 25 percent against vote that would have triggered a first strike against the JB Hi-Fi board.

    Last year, 21 percent of JB Hi-Fi shareholders voted against the report, prompting fears of a potential first strike at this year’s meeting.

  • KFC New Zealand drives Restaurant Brands’ sales

    KFC New Zealand drives Restaurant Brands’ sales

    Restaurant Brands total group sales grew 2.7 percent over during the first half of FY20, though net profit fell 2 per cent due to the adoption of a new leasing standard.

    Total group sales, which include KFC, Pizza Hut and Carl’s Jr. in New Zealand, as well as KFC operations in Australia, and Taco Bell and Pizza Hut in Hawaii, grew to $442.6 million – an increase of $11.6 million on the prior year.

    Net profit fell to $20 million, 2 percent lower than the $20.4 million seen during 1H19, due to the adoption of NZ IFRS 16, which knocked net profit down $2.9 million as a result of lease depreciation costs.

    The bulk of the sales improvement came from KFC’s New Zealand operations, which saw sales up 7.9 per cent to $193.5 million.

    Same-store sales grew 5.7 percent, while EBITDA totaled $41.8 million, driven by a further roll-out of the business’ delivery operations, as well as successful product promotions and the opening of three new stores.

    Pizza Hut saw a more difficult half, with total sales down 10.5 percent to $18.3 million despite the expansion of the chain’s store network. Same-store sales also fell 4.4 percent due to competitive pressure, the impact of launching new stores, as well as the appearance of new food delivery companies in the New Zealand market.

    Restaurant Brands also confirmed it would be opening its first New Zealand Taco Bell at LynnMall Shopping Centre in Auckland next month.

    “Initial planning and setup is well underway to bring this exciting new brand to the New Zealand market with the first new store in Auckland targeted to open in November,” the company said in a release.

    Restaurant Brands chief executive Russel Creedy said the group would launch up to 25 Taco Bells across New Zealand in the next five years.

    The group’s Australian results were adversely affected by a stronger New Zealand dollar, with KFC Australia seeing 4.2 percent total sales growth to $99.5 million. Restaurant Brands is also planning to open two Taco Bell stores in New South Wales, Australia in the calendar year.

    “The overall business continues to deliver solid results across all geographic markets and this strong performance is expected to continue in the second half of the year,” the group said.

    The directors believe that, not including further impact of NZ IFRS 16, Restaurant Brands will deliver an NPAT at least 10 per cent higher than FY19 – having previously stated they are expecting a net profit of $45 million for the FY20 period.

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  • Vodafone NZ unveils agile and programmable network

    Vodafone NZ unveils agile and programmable network

    With an adaptive network, Vodafone can better support a growing enterprise customer base that requires high-capacity connectivity as business applications and workloads increasingly move to public cloud services (SaaS/IaaS) and cloud data centers both locally and internationally.

    Vodafone Technology Director Tony Baird says this deployment builds on a long-standing relationship. “Our long-standing collaboration with Ciena is a relationship we value greatly. The combination of top-echelon technology and impeccable customer service has put us in a winning position. As a result, we’re very comfortable in not only maintaining but growing our customer base, particularly those that require complex and unique network services.”

    Vodafone can also set customer-defined service policies and program its network to suggest the ideal capacity, hardware configuration and spectral placement for any channel, across any network path.

    Additionally, with Ciena’s Liquid Restoration capability, the operator can significantly improve service availability with flexible adjustment of deployed coherent optical capacity and route affected services across any available path in the network.

    “To respond to changes in end-user consumption and explosion in data usage, leading operators like Vodafone New Zealand must both automate and scale their networks,” said Rick Seeto, Vice President and General Manager, Ciena Asia Pacific & Japan. “They need a network that can adapt and respond, in real-time, to their customers’ ever-changing demands while transforming from a necessary capability to a strategic asset – that’s the basis of the adaptive network.”

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  • Taco Bell to open first New Zealand outlet next month

    Taco Bell to open first New Zealand outlet next month

    Mexican fast food chain Taco Bell reportedly will open its first New Zealand store at The Brickworks in New Lynn’s LynnMall.

    Clark Wilson, general manager of Taco Bell NZ for Restaurant Brands, confirmed the location of the first store to NZ Herald.

    “We’re thrilled to reveal Taco Bell will be opening its doors in Auckland, early this November,” Wilson said.

    Restaurant Brands operates the New Zealand franchises for KFC, Pizza Hut and Carl’s Jr, and operates a KFC franchise in NSW, Australia, as well as Taco Bell and Pizza Hut franchises in Hawaii, Guam and Saipan.

    The NZX-listed company earlier this year said it would open 60 Taco Bell stores across Australia and New Zealand over the next five years. In September, it revealed the locations of the first new stores to open in Australia, with stores set to open in Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle.

    The Taco Bell in LynnMall in West Auckland will feature an open kitchen, customer-curated music playlists and free WiFi. The store also reportedly will serve alcohol.

    The Brickworks is a relatively new dining precinct at LynnMall, launched in 2015. It currently is home to Turkish and Greek restaurant Bodrum Kitchen, meat and wine bar Cleaver & Co, pizza and pasta restaurant Goode Brothers, Vietnamese restaurant Hansan,

  • Kathmandu raises $96 million for Rip Curl acquisition

    Kathmandu raises $96 million for Rip Curl acquisition

    Kathmandu has raised nearly $96 million from institutional investors via a fully underwritten 1 for 4 pro rata accelerated entitlement offer to help fund its acquisition of Rip Curl.

    Eligible institutional shareholders took up 88 per cent of their entitlements, and 92 per cent of eligible institutional shareholders took up their entitlements in full, signaling strong investor support for the $368 million acquisition, which Kathmandu said will expand and diversify the business.

    Kathmandu is looking to raise a total of $145 million under the entitlement offer, which allows eligible shareholders to subscribe for one new ordinary share for every four existing shares held as at 5pm on October 3, 2019.

    The retail component of the entitlement offer opens on Friday, October 4, and closes on Monday, October 21, with eligible shareholders able to subscribe at an application price of NZ$2.55 per new share ($2.37 for Australian shareholders).

    This reflects a 14.4 percent discount to the volume-weighted average price of Kathmandu’s shares traded on the NZX for the last five trading days prior to October 1, 2019.

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