Team Talk Making Kiwis' lives a little better every day
Onwards and upwards for Ashburton South and Glenfield
+ 2017 Countdown Kids Appeal kicks off Food Rescue wins national award Pink shirt brigade stand up to bullies
Team Talk is brought to you by our four commitments
August - September 2017
I t ’ s a l l a b o u t o u r c u sto m e r
From me . . . to you Keeping focused on our customers As we enter a new financial year, we need to continue focusing on what our customers want – great food, low prices, and exceptional service.
Our Facebook Friends What our customers have to say about us on social media
Carrie
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Over the course of the 2017 financial year, we had some really significant milestones, which I think we should all be proud of. You can check out a selection of highlights from the last year on page 6.
Kids Hospital Appeal kicks off As our annual Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal begins for another year, I’m looking forward to seeing what creative ideas our stores will come up with to help fundraise for the appeal. One of the most memorable events from last year was the ‘Gore’s Biggest Bogan’ competition which our South Island team pulled together. So let’s get creative, and see if we can beat last year’s effort of $1.1 million raised.
Trade show on the horizon Our annual trade show is almost upon us, and it is always great to spend time with our team and suppliers. This is a great time to celebrate some of our exceptional team living our purpose.
Eastgate: Yesterday I called in to get your Fruitless Hot Cross Buns, which my fussy son loves. However I couldn't see them on the shelf. So I asked the bakery assistant nearby, who said they finished making them yesterday. But then, to my surprise, the lovely assistant said they could specially make some to order. I was so impressed with this staff member and at the same time didn't want any fuss. I’m annoyed I didn't ask her name to acknowledge her personally. Great customer service needs to be recognised. Thank you, whoever you are. – Carrie
Good luck to all the finalists for Checkout Operator of the Year, Store Manager of the Year and Forklift Driver of the Year! I look forward to catching up with you around the country. Dave Chambers Managing Director
That extra mile Stores, teams and individuals who honour our purpose of making customers’ lives better Kella Swan from Pukekohe South store set a new target in customer service by receiving eight WoW comments from customers. She was able to achieve this while doing sampling with products from various departments. “Her warm and friendly manner encouraged customers to enter into our shopping survey competition, and the treats she offered were a real hit,” says Fresh Foods Manager Andrew Gush. Congratulations to Kella, your outstanding customer service won your store social club a $250 contribution.
Tell us how your team helped Tell us how your store, team or one of your team members have gone that extra mile to help our customers. Send your story to teamtalk@countdown.co.nz. If your story is selected for publication, your store will receive a $250 contribution to the store social club!
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Beachlands: Went to our brand new Countdown in Beachlands yesterday feeling great, but then felt very faint 10 minutes in. The workers manning the tills were amazing! One young lady, Caitlin, found me a chair and went and got me a glass of water, another young man, Jack, asked someone to cover his till and came over and asked me if he could do anything. Then when I wanted to ring my friend to collect me, another young man, Cullen, used his own mobile and rang and spoke to my friend himself. What a great team and assets to have here in Beachlands! – Trish Feilding: This week I lost my phone at Countdown in Feilding. By the time I realised I lost it, I was at the counter. I said to my husband: “Have you seen my phone?” Next thing I knew, a lady from the service desk was giving my phone back to me, as one of the produce staff had found it and handed it in. It had $100 cash still in it when it was returned... I was blown away by the service and honesty of the staff. – Lauren Glenfield: Just wanted to thank the wonderful people at Countdown Glenfield. I went shopping on Saturday morning with my twin babies and there was this beautiful sight of double baby trolleys all lined up neatly. I was so happy and grateful to whoever did this, you really don't know how stressful it is worrying about something as minuscule as a trolley, but it made my day! Keep on being awesome. – Nicola
NEWS EXTRA
The year that was As we enter into a new financial year this is a good opportunity for us to take a step back to reflect on what we have achieved. Onecard AA Smartfuel launch
Store openings
In October 2016, together with AA Smartfuel, we unveiled our revamped Onecard loyalty programme. To date more than 1.4 million of our customers have moved over to the new card.
This year we opened five new stores in Waiheke, Aotea, Mosgiel, Beachlands, and Ashburton South. We also completed seven refurbishments, along with a large number of stores that have undergone segmentation (which targets the right products for our customers).
Net promoter score and Voice of Customer This year we continued our drive to make Kiwis’ lives a little better every day, with some great results. Our net promoter score and Voice of Customer measures are now at all time highs.
Free range eggs In March 2017, we announced that we are aiming to be 100 per cent cage-free in retail eggs by the end of 2024 in the North Island and by the end of 2025 across the rest of New Zealand.
The Odd Bunch In February 2017, we launched The Odd Bunch, the first initiative of its kind in New Zealand. The Odd Bunch takes whole of crop from farmers and packages the ‘ugly’ produce that unique produce that dreams would not have typically of being Tasted, Not Wasted made it to supermarket shelves, due to small imperfections or cosmetic damage.
Meat trays In December 2016, we rolled out the first phase of our new recyclable meat trays. We have now completed the phase out all traditional polystyrene black foam meat trays.
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Successful seasonal soup Lockdown We continued to see great results from our Price Down programme this year. Our recent soup seasonal Lockdown was one example of great work in this space.
Food for Good launch We launched the new community programme Food for Good around the country. Countdown stores support their local community, whether it’s by donating food to The Salvation Army and other local food banks through Food Rescue, or through our Free Fruit for Kids programme in every store, our commitment to health and nutrition targets, charity initiatives with suppliers. local sponsorships, or our Food Rescue Fund.
Food Project Earlier this year we launched The Food Project, a new learning and training initiative to equip our store teams with the skills and confidence to be able to have more meaningful interactions with our customers. The Food Project is an ambitious plan to cultivate a learning culture right across Countdown.
Family violence policy In November 2016, we introduced our family violence policy to support team members impacted by family violence. Our policy is about ensuring we have a safe and supportive work environment and provide a way for team to seek help.
Transgender transitioning policy In May 2017, we launched a new transgender transitioning policy aimed at supporting transitioning team members across the country. The policy outlines Countdown’s responsibilities as an employer and commitment to providing an inclusive environment, as well as the practical assistance available to team members who are transitioning.
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COV E R ST O RY
Onwards and upwards for Ashburton South Our new store in Ashburton South has opened and is proving very popular with the community. “People really love the new store, particularly the new produce area and the service they get from our checkout team,"says Store Manager, Kyle Webber. Hundreds of people lined up on the day the store opened. Kyle said his new team had put in a lot of effort to get the store ready and looking great for the opening.
The team celebrating the opening.
Everyone pitched in to make sure the store was spick and span for the opening.
“We have about 20 team members who came across from other stores, and 68 brand new team members. Everyone is doing a great job."
Store Manager Kyle Webber, Mayor Donna Favel and Diane Rooney at the official ribbon cutting.
Leanne Chatterton
Hassan Apimerika
Jenny Prasad
Mikayla Griffin
Crystal O’Keefe
Ali Diamond and Sheryl Collett
Pink shirt brigade stand up to bullies Team members in stores, warehouses and offices throughout New Zealand donned pink shirts on 25 May to make a stand against bullying.
Bipin Neupane, Isako Boyd, Debbie Faulkner, Jasmine Brennan, Vimanpreet Khun, Jordan Hall and Deepak Sharma from Whangaparaoa.
Pink Shirt Day is a global awareness campaign that has been running since 2009 to encourage schools, organisations and workplaces to speak up and stand together to stop bullying.
Toni Renwick, Aroha Te Wahu, Jessie Mcleod, Rosie Beckingsale and Julia Nicklin from Chartwell.
Our cover shows Saab Singh from Asburton South ... Germaine Hill and Jordan Perzewski from Orewa.
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NEWS EXTRA
Newly refurbished Countdown Glenfield six months in the making The much anticipated Countdown Glenfield has officially been re-opened after an extensive six month refurbishment. The $8 million refurbishment includes an expansive new fresh produce department, a dedicated health food section and the latest energy efficient fittings and equipment. Our team have worked tirelessly to get the store ready to re-open to the community. “We’re really pleased with how the store is looking There’s a lot to love in our new store and customers love the new modern offer that we have for them,” says Store Manager, Nicky Bartlett. She commended her team for how smooth the transition was during the refurbishment and said that they've seen some great results from their online delivery option.
The team celebrate the opening of the newly refurbished store
Store Manager Nicky Bartlett, Auckland Councillor Richard Hills at the official ribbon cutting.
Emmanuel Carda
Nandita Dutt and Vanita Raman
Mel Archie
In-store customer tasting
Usha Lal
Countdown steak of champions For the third year in a row Countdown’s Angus beef has been declared the Supreme Brand Winner at the 2017 Steak of Origin awards. The Awards are an annual event run by New Zealand Beef and Lamb to select the best steak producers in the country. Countdown placed first and third in the Best of Brand: Retail. Countdown Angus beef prevailed over tough competition to be named Supreme Brand Winner Award. John van Boxel, Senior Category Manager Meat and Livestock, says winning the brand award for the third year running is a huge achievement and the team are delighted. "Winning again this year is great recognition of the top quality meats that Countdown has to offer. We ensure we have close relationships with our farmers, which helps us achieve such high standards. These awards highlight the benefit of working together."
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Sam McIvor, Kelly Brittain, Tim Brittain, Malcolm Hampto, Fred Hellaby, Ken Syminton, James Parsons
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NEWS EXTRA
The year ahead As we kick off a new financial year, we need to continue to keep focusing on providing our customers with what they want. Dave Chambers, Managing Director
Jenny Price, Operations Loss Prevention Manager
Our strategy for the year ahead remains the same – our obsession with price, our love of food, our commitment to making things easy for our team and customers and our local community activities.
Reducing stock loss is about small and consistent incremental improvements rather than a few big wins. This approach needs to be taken at all stages of a product journey through our business. If we get it right, it will also enhance customers’ experience in our stores with fresher product available. Everyone in our business can influence stock loss, so our focus will be on providing the tools, coaching and communication required to make this happen.
While there is always something happening in our business, the key thing to remember is that everything we do comes back to our purpose, which is to make Kiwis’ lives a little better every day.
Brett Ashley, General Manager Operations We have an exciting year planned for all of our store teams, with a lot of great initiatives underway or being developed.
Andre Ciseau, Countdown Ponsonby Store Manager
The main projects coming up are: •
Customer led rostering, more effective sales forecasting and team rostering, and making sure we have the right people, doing the right things, at the right time.
•
The Food Project. Creating a training and learning environment for our team, focusing on customer and team connections.
Our focus for this year is to continue thinking outside the box to come up with innovative ways of making our customers' shopping experiences fun and exciting. We have been running food expos in store with our suppliers, which has been really popular with our customers. We will continue developing this to create new experiences.
Food Rescue wins Green Ribbon Award Our Food Rescue programme won the Business Leadership category at this year’s Green Ribbon Awards. The awards, run by the Ministry for the Environment, recognise the outstanding contributions made by individuals, organisations, businesses and communities to protect and enhance New Zealand’s environment. Food Rescue plays a vital role in both reducing food waste and supporting people in need throughout New Zealand. Every Countdown store has a food rescue partnership in place which sees around $3.5 million of food donated to local food banks each year.
David Parker with James Walker, General Manager, Corporate Affairs accepting the Green Ribbon Award.
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“Food rescue is about true partnerships,” says Kate Porter, National Communications and Public Affairs Manager. “In the last year, we have invested more in building relationships, improving our food rescue operations, raising awareness
with customers and providing financial support through our annual Countdown Food Rescue Partners Contestable Fund of $100,000.” We partner with food rescue organisations and food banks throughout New Zealand. The Salvation Army is our national partner, but we also have local partners such as Love Soup Hibiscus Coast, Tokoroa and Rotorua, KiwiHarvest, Fair Food, the Auckland City Mission, Kaivolution, Good Neighbour, Just Zilch, Foodshare, 0800 Hungry and Kaibosh. In the last year, we have also welcomed Kiwi Community Collective in Wellington, Waiwaste in Masterton, Nourished for Nil in Hastings, Satisfy Food Rescue in Kaiapoi, Kai Rescue Nelson Environment Centre, and are also trialling perishable food rescue with The Salvation Army in Whakatane, Gisborne, Whangarei and Ashburton.
Food for thought
Get the slow cooker out for winter
We asked Francis Coutinho, Food Specialist at Mt Eden to share some food tips and recipes with us. "With winter fully set in, I've started pulling out my slow cooker. Being the chef at home, I take care of the meals and in the morning get my kid ready for kindy, so that doesn't leave me with a lot of daylight to cook. Elaborate meals are out of the question. That’s where the slow cooker comes to my rescue. Fill it, shut it and forget it... until dinner time!"
Francis selecting spinach for his slow cooker sausage, spinach and white bean soup.
Slow cooker sausage, spinach and white bean soup Serves: 8
So hearty and comforting and so easy to make right in the crock pot with just 10 minutes preparation. Easy peasy! Slow cooker soups are the best. There’s absolutely no sautéing or stirring involved and you can simply set the crock pot and forget it,
Ingredients 350g Spanish chorizo, thinly sliced 3 cups baby spinach 2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 onion, diced 3 carrots, peeled and diced 2 stalks celery, diced 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 2 bay leaves 4 cups chicken broth Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes.
2.
Place sausage, garlic, onion, carrots, celery, beans, oregano and bay leaves into a slow cooker. Stir in chicken broth and two cups water until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3.
Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours. Stir in spinach until wilted.
4.
Serve immediately.
Serves: 5
As delicious as lasagne is, it can be time consuming to make. That’s why I love to make mine in the slow cooker. You don’t even have to pre-cook the lasagne sheets! Just layer sauce, pasta sheets, cheese and repeat.
250g ground beef 250g Italian sausage 1 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 large onion , chopped
All you have to do is simply cook up your sausage and throw everything else into the slow cooker. When you’re ready to serve, stir in your spinach until wilted. Easy enough, right?
Method
Slow cooker lasagne
Ingredients
letting the slow cooker do all the work for you.
1 tsp Italian seasoning 2 tbsp parsley 2 tsp garlic powder 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 3 sachets tomato paste 800g tomato sauce
Let it cook for a few hours and enjoy tasty homemade slow cooker lasagne with hardly any mess! I make my mum’s awesome homemade spaghetti sauce, but you could use any marinara sauce you like.
2 tbsp granulated sugar 1 1/4 cups water 1 box regular lasagne sheets, uncooked 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 1-1/2 cups cottage cheese 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Method 1.
In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, finely chopped Italian sausage and onion.
cooker (break the pasta to fit, if necessary).Spread a third of the meat sauce over the pasta.
2.
Add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce, sugar, and water.
5.
Combine the mozzarella, cottage cheese and parmesan cheese; spoon a third of the mixture over the sauce.
3.
Stir and simmer 15-20 minutes. (You could make the sauce in advance.)
6.
Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce and sprinkle with extra mozzarella cheese, if desired.
4.
Arrange a quarter of the pasta sheets into the bottom of your slow
7.
Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until pasta sheets are tender.
Own brand – what’s new For winter we have three new delicious flavours of Countdown fresh soups - Creamy Pumpkin, Minestrone and Chicken & Vegetable. It’s an easy, convenient heat and eat product, ideal for the cold season and good lunch option too. The soups contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
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S TA F F R O O M
Respect barriers to stay out of harm’s way Safety barriers are there for good reason. Ignoring or crossing them can lead to serious injury.
Artist: Jared Adams
Quick action saves boy from choking
Beachlands team member helps save a life
Long-time shopper Bernadette Moreau finished shopping at Mt Eden and was packing her groceries into her car. While she was loading her shopping, she didn’t notice that her three-year-old son was choking on an apple. “I turned back and he was blue and I didn’t know what to do,” Bernadette wrote to us afterwards. “I panicked and started crying, because my boy was dying.” That was when one of our team, Gaggi Sharma, passed by on his way home. “He came running to me, grabbed my Gaggi Sharma boy, turned him upside down and hit hard on my boy’s back and a big chunk of apple came out and my son started breathing.” She wrote a letter to the Store Manager afterwards, because in that moment she didn’t know how to thank her helper. “I was in shock for the next hour or so. But he was there until I felt good and was talking to me and making me laugh and telling me about his son too,” she says. She, her husband and son came back to the store to offer thanks and some gifts, which Gaggi said he could not accept, as what he had only done what anyone would have have in that situation.
Craig Sceat with the AED equiptment which helped save a life
On his 21st birthday, Craig Sceat from our Beachlands store gave someone else the biggest gift of all – he saved her life. A young woman was in a nearby gym when she went into cardiac arrest. The people at the gym came to Countdown for help and Craig took our AED and performed CPR on the women. The young woman made a full recovery. Store Manager Kevin Morgan said he was really proud of the quick actions of Craig. “He demonstrated a high level of leadership and care in this highly stressful situation and he couldn’t have handled it any better.
Feel sunny even when it rains It can be hard to have a sunny disposition when the weather is grey and wet. Lack of sun, combined with rainy and cold weather, can affect our mental health. To find ways to help yourself, check out the Five Ways to Wellbeing by the Mental Health Foundation: connect, give, take notice, keep learning and be active. Depression.org.nz offers information and resources, including self-help. Likeminds.org.nz works to end discrimination and increase inclusion of people experiencing mental illness. Our new employee assistance provider, DTC, is also available to all team members. You can access DTC’s services by calling on the freephone number 0800 360364, or by visiting www.dtceap.co.nz. (The organisation ID is woolworths and the password is w45eap.)
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S TA F F R O O M
$15,000 donation enables extended food bank hours in Whangarei The Salvation Army’s Whangarei foodbank is now open an extra day each week thanks to a $15,000 donation from Countdown stores in Northland. The much-needed financial boost will bring the foodbank’s operating days from four to five, a move the Salvation Army says is needed to meet rising demand in the community. The Salvation Army gave out 2,744 food parcels in Whangarei in the last year, as well as providing support via budgeting services, advocacy and social services. The Salvation Army National Secretary for Social Services, Major Pamela Waugh says the foodbank is facing increased pressure due to people returning to Whangarei from Auckland, as well as rising living costs affecting existing local individuals and families. “This generous donation will enable us to open the food bank doors one extra day each week so we can provide help and support to
L to R Peter Koia, Chris George, and Trevor McLean
more people in need. Our partnership with Countdown is invaluable in providing support to our local Whangarei community, as well as nationally through Countdown’s Food Rescue programme,” says Major Waugh.
Winter Appeal to help our people in need In June, we launched our Food Rescue Winter Appeal. “Wherever possible, Countdown’s policy is to donate safe, highquality surplus food to The Salvation Army and other local food banks throughout New Zealand,” says James Walker, General Manager Corporate Affairs. "The Winter Appeal is an extension of our Food Rescue programme, and enables The Salvation Army to help Kiwis in need. We’re proud to support them.” The Winter Appeal encourages customers to make a food donation in-store in the designated purple Food Rescue bins or online via The Foodbank Project. Food and groceries are then distributed to people in need across the country through The Salvation Army’s community hubs. Our customers donated a huge $25,000, on top of the increased food donations and the $7000 food donation that we made to kick off the Appeal. Thanks for much to stores for getting behind it.
Don’t let Kiwis’ cupboards go bare this Winter Be a hero. Support the Countdown Food Rescue Winter Appeal for The Salvation Army from 29 May – 25 June 2017. Donate items at the food collection bin or make a donation at checkout.
Team members and representatives of The Salvation Army with our $7000 donation to kick off the Winter Appeal.
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Our community commitment
2017 Countdown Kids Appeal kicks off The 2017 Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal has now kicked off, running from 7 August to 29 October, and stores around the country will be working to fundraise for their local children’s hospitals wards. From quiz nights, car rallies, cake stalls and raffle tickets, thousands of Countdown and hospital ward staff will be rallying their communities to support the Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal.
Customers can donate by: •
The Countdown Kids Appeal has helped raise more than $10.4 million over the last 10 years and their incredible efforts have helped numerous young patients and their families from Christchurch and around the country.
Visiting their local Countdown supermarket and donating at the checkout.
•
Purchasing a Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal wristband or raffle ticket in-store.
•
Donate via online shopping.
Funds from 2016 Kids Hospital Appeal help Christchurch Hospital’s Children’s Health Division
Help get more Kiwi kids home for dinner
Christchurch Hospital’s Children’s Health Division has revealed its newest piece of medical equipment, a new respiratory body box which will help Canterbury children with their breathing tests. The paediatric body plethysmograph, the first in the South Island, and the only one in New Zealand using the latest ultrasonic technology, measures a child’s lung performance. It was purchased with a $123,000 donation from Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal.
Support the Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal at checkout to help fund much needed medical equipment.
12-year-old Tylah-Ray Davidson, who lives with cystic fibrosis, demonstrating how a lung function test is performed.
Lamingtons help raise money for Alzheimer’s New Zealand Kiwis have devoured more than 50,000 packs of the sweet treat during last month to raise money for Alzheimer’s New Zealand. During July 20 cents from every six-pack of lamingtons purchased from Countdown was donated to Alzheimer’s NZ. Countdown and Blenheim based bakery Elite Food Group joined forces to keep the shelves stocked with lamingtons during the appeal. In total, they spent around 1,260 hours mixing and baking. Lamingtons traditionally come in raspberry and chocolate, but modern flavour twists are proving popular. Last year a zingy lemon variety was introduced to Countdown, and its popularity saw it return for a second year to raise funds to support the 62,287 New Zealanders who are currently living with dementia.
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Countdown and Southern Kitchen lamingtons
S TA F F R O O M
Getting to Know You . . . We asked our Internal Communications team to lead the way and communicate something about themselves. What does your job entail on an average week?
What does your job entail on an average week?
I’m yet to experience an average week! Most of our time is spent either working with various parts of the business to find out what they need people in stores to know, or working with stores to find out what it is they need to know. Our job is about finding the best way to get that information across as quickly and easily as possible.
Lots of writing and creating content, helping people get connected on Workplace by Facebook, and making sure our store teams have all the information they need in the right format to make things easy.
Dan Chasemore, Internal What’s your favourite Communications Manager food?/ What do you cook for special occasions? You can’t beat a good steak. Grilled medium rare, with just a touch of salt and pepper. Yum!
What do you do to relax outside of work? I like the theatre, and can often be found working with various community theatres across Auckland to put on productions.
What’s your favourite food?/ What do you cook for special occasions?
Sarah Tora, Internal
Any kind of cheese! On toast, Communications Specialist crackers, in hot dishes, on its own or even with apple slices (don’t knock it till you try it!). It's a wonder Dan and I get on so well, considering he doesn't like cheese!
What do you do to relax outside of work? Reading, spending time with my family, and trying new recipes.
What charity or community organisations do you admire the most?
I try to support Youthline, and the Mental Health Foundation are close to my heart.
When our little girl was in Starship, Ronald McDonald House were amazing, so I’ll always admire the support they give families during such a stressful time. I also think our Food Rescue partners such as The Salvation Army, Love Soup and Kaivolution do an amazing job to help reduce food waste and fill empty tummies.
What’s the most unusual thing about you that few of your colleagues know about?
What’s the most unusual thing about you that few of your colleagues know about?
Although I grew up near Cheddar in the UK, I don’t actually like cheese!
I love 90’s hip hop! Wu Tang Clan, Salt and Pepa and 2pac, to name a few.
What’s the best bit of advice you were ever given?
What’s the best bit of advice you were ever given?
Treat others the way that you’d like to be treated.
Don’t focus on the destination, focus on the journey.
What charity or community organisations do you admire the most?
Countdown adds The Shield to its website We are now supporting a Women’s Refuge initiative that allows visitors to its website to access The Shielded Site, a portal enabling victims of family violence to safely seek help and access critical information without fear of detection. Anyone in an abusive relationship who is seeking support or advice can now safely visit the Countdown website, click on the Shielded Site icon, and be provided with vital information without leaving a browser trail. Sally Copland, Countdown’s Head of Online, says, “More and more New Zealanders are choosing to get their groceries from us online and browsing our site to check out prices or get recipe ideas. Given our reach, we have enabled our website to be a safe platform for victims
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of family violence to access support without the risk of their abusers knowing.” The Shielded Site was created for Women’s Refuge by Saatchi & Saatchi and launched in late 2016. Countdown joins Head of Online, Sally Copland a group of New Zealand businesses including The Warehouse, ASB Bank, Sorted and Z Energy who have added the tab to their sites.
Example of what the button looks like on our website
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S TA F F R O O M
Milestones
years! Judith Meijer celebrated 35 years' service at Girven Road. With her is David Richie, Ryan McMullen, Martyn Douglas and Wendy McKenzie.
years! Chad Kelly (Team Leader) Countdown Kelvin Grove has hit the 30 year service mark.
years!
years! Shirley Hannah notched up 30 years at Countdown Mosgiel
years! years! Huntly marked a range of milestones recently. Among the people who have been with the team a long time is Celeste Cheetham (left, 30 years’ service) and Lynda Miller (right, 10 years).
years!
years! Queensgate stalwarts Jim Horn and Linda Phillips both achieved 30 years' service.
years! Craig Taylor celebrating his 25 year milestone at Countdown Greerton with Phil Guilford
years!
Three team members at the Palmerston North Regional Distribution Centre racked up 20 years’ service each. On the left is Quentin Thompson being congratulated by Russell Judd, Logistics Manager PNRDC. In the middle is John Henderson being congratulated by Gareth True, Transport and Operations Manager LNI. On the right is Eddie Pawson, cutting the cake made for the team by Countdown Rangitikei Street.
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