There are concerns that Labour’s proposed GST removal on fruit and veges could divert resources from the newly-established grocery watchdog’s main mission.
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The snacking company says it has now passed pre-Covid revenue after an 18-month innovation drive to restore demand.
Business, retail and hospitality stakeholders welcome the end of mask mandates and the scrapping of the traffic light system.
A one-off public holiday to mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth II has been welcomed by Hospitality New Zealand, even though it may come with a cost for operators.
New Zealand will remain at the orange traffic light setting, while hospitalisations remain elevated and pressure on the health system continues through winter, the government has announced.
The opening of New Zealand’s border to all visitors is a moment for New Zealand to “stand tall” to welcome tourists, investors, students, and skilled workers instead of switching off prospective visitors, according to Michael Barnett.
The quick service restaurant group’s sales are holding up but cost inflation and staff absenteeism put H1 profit forecasts at half of last year.
Supply of Tegel’s chicken sausages, Nuggets and Louisiana and Nashville Take Outs is particularly affected.
The government is making rapid antigen tests and masks freely available to anyone who needs them as part of several changes to tackle the second Covid-19 Omicron wave and influenza.
Pak’nSave Blenheim has sent some team members to the Four Square in Havelock, to save it from temporarily closing after Covid-19 hit its staff.
Brands are looking for new ways to reach customers to combat pandemic uncertainty around events and in-store sampling.
The agency makes clear its stance, allowing the promotional activity to occur in supermarkets.
The Covid orange traffic light setting is not a constraint or handbrake to accelerating business recovery and growth, says Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Michael Barnett.
Food firms conducting the popular in-store promotion will have to think again after supermarkets suspend the activity.
Lion is close to completing a reshaping of its NZ operations, allowing it to emerge from Covid concentrated on core.
Shanghai port congestion could prolong elevated freight prices, while the foodservice shutdown means strong headwinds for dairy demand.
Freightways says the impact of Omicron on its business could be as much as $7m due to lower volumes and higher operating costs due in part to absent staff.
Its New Zealand business could see H2 earnings drop almost 30% due to escalating costs, even as grocery prices rise.
Zespri has stood up a number of work-arounds in China to combat Covid-19 lockdowns which are slowing the distribution of kiwifruit from Shanghai port.
Processing capacity at New Zealand’s plants is recovering as more people return to work after isolating or staying at home to look after family members due to Covid-19, according to meat industry stakeholders.
The hospitality industry has welcomed the ditching of capacity limits in time for the important Easter, Anzac Day and school holidays.
Air New Zealand says it will restart its food and beverage offering on domestic flights from Friday 15 April following the country’s move overnight to the orange light setting.
Bars, cafes, and restaurants will be able to fill up again with capacity and seating rules lifted, says Chris Hipkins.
Hospitality businesses will continue to struggle following the government’s decision to keep the country in the red setting of the Covid-19 Protection Framework, say industry groups.
It means capacity limits for indoor gatherings, events and hospitality venues remain capped at 200 people.
The government has updated guidance to businesses now that most workplaces will not require vaccine mandates from 4 April.
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Disruption is expected to continue into 2023 with pricing to remain high for years.
The changes do not go far enough to help struggling businesses, says industry groups.
Capacity limits for outdoor events will lift completely this weekend and increase to 200 indoors for hospitality venues.
The 2022 New Zealand AgriFood Talks event has been cancelled because of the Omicron outbreak.
Hundreds of people are required to plug gaps in Countdown’s supply chain because of Covid-19 absenteeism.
The government brings forward border reopenings for visitors from Australia and visa waiver countries like the US and UK.
More than five thousand businesses in Auckland that struggled through the Delta lockdown have received more than $17m financial support through a targeted support scheme.
Hospitality and accommodation operators may still have to put up prices despite the fuel and transport cost cuts announced by the government, says Hospitality New Zealand.
But it’s no ‘silver bullet’ for industries struggling to cope with labour shortages.
This year’s Fieldays has been postponed until late November because of disruption from the Omicron outbreak.
The launch of Auckland’s first ghost kitchen has been delayed a month because of Covid-19.
Meat processors are under pressure and suffering delays because of Omicron absenteeism, according to the Meat Industry Association and Beef + Lamb New Zealand.
Rabobank’s latest global dairy report says commodity prices are expected to remain elevated because production growth is not keeping up with demand.
Some $7.67bn dollars was spent online shopping by New Zealanders last year, with 26% of people buying groceries digitally, according to research group Canstar Blue.
Business New Zealand has called the government reduced self-isolation for positive Covid cases “a pragmatic response.”
The isolation period for Covid-19 cases and household contacts will go down to seven days from 10 at 11.59pm on Friday 11 March.
Foodstuffs South Island is distributing more than one million rapid antigen tests to its supermarkets, more than 250 businesses and donating a number to charity.
Countdown employees working alongside Australian colleagues shipped in to fill gaps in New Zealand stores and supply chains should immediately receive pay parity and be remunerated at the significantly higher rates of their colleagues from across the ditch, First Union says.
Government guidelines on wage subsidies need to be clearer to protect small business owners including hospitality operators who are being fined for misinterpreting the rules.
Consumer spending at hospitality businesses remains down nearly a quarter on pre-Covid levels, according to data from payment services provider Worldline.
Small businesses are continuing to suffer under the pressure of Omicron and phase three restrictions.
Consumer New Zealand has found massive price differences for Rapid Antigen Tests, ranging from $6.50 to $19 per test.
The supply chain is being hammered with consumers warned to expect gaps.
Businesses struggling with Omicron have received the first payment from the government’s financial support scheme.
Essential categories and lines will be prioritised as inbound product capacity at DCs is squeezed by Omicron absenteeism.
Omicron absenteeisms are piling pressure on supply chains, with manufacturers scrambling to retrain and redeploy staff.
Horticulture New Zealand says the government’s decision to boost the cap on the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme would benefit future picking seasons.
Rising costs saw some margin erosion, particularly in Australia and New Zealand.
Businesses that are covered by the Close Contact Exemption Scheme can access rapid antigen tests after a further 10 million arrived in the country over the weekend.
Food manufacturers should prepare for “highly dynamic” food markets in the year ahead as pandemic disruption to supply chains, input costs and consumer behaviour continues, says Rabobank.
t to phase 3 of the Omicron response and an adjustment to conditions in the government’s financial support package announced on Monday.
Rapid antigen tests will also become more widely available in March.
Little Creatures says operating under the red traffic light system was “uncertain and precarious”.
Hospitality New Zealand is warning many of the hardest-hit businesses in the sector may be ineligible for the government’s new support package.
It will help but many in hospitality may still have to shut, say industry groups.
Three payments capped at $24k each will be available for hard-hit businesses.
Auckland’s Business Chamber wants clarity from the government over how companies can access rapid antigen tests.
The beverage giant urges Finance Minister Grant Robertson to “act swiftly, decisively and meaningfully”.
The prominent hospitality brand has called on the government to throw a lifeline to the sector.
The Nelson nut butter business looks to new SKUs and overseas expansion in its hunt for further growth.
Food sector stakeholders have labelled the government’s rapid antigen test distribution plan “unreliable” as concerns grow over access to RATs.
The grocery group is using its procurement heft to source more than 1 million rapid antigen tests on behalf of around 250 companies.
Listed apple company T&G has started harvesting this season’s fruit, expecting to pick more than 6.5m tray carton equivalents this year – or roughly 120,000,000 kgs of apples.
Half the industry has seen revenue plummet by more than 40% since NZ shifted to red, says Hospitality NZ.
The shift will see more widespread use of the govt’s test to return-to-work policy for critical workers in industries such as food.
Scan in, wear a mask, shop normally, be kind – a message from Countdown.
The Taranaki company is “making good headway” with its plan to meet a growing appetite for mānuka honey in the US, says CEO James Annabell.
Beverage makers say the timing could not be worse for a rise in the alcohol excise tax.
Hospitality operators are battling to stay open – and afloat – after Covid cases force widespread closures at the resort.
The supply of RATs remains a concern for some industries, while NZFGC calls the exemption scheme a ‘pragmatic step’.
Wanaka’s food and wine festival has been cancelled this year because of the current red-light Covid-19 restrictions.
A Bay of Plenty food event plans to go ahead despite current Covid-19 restrictions.
But a new factory boosts production five-fold, supporting plans to expand into more supermarkets.
Critical worker close contacts can keep going to work instead of isolating if they return a negative RAT under the new scheme.
Cooks Global Foods says sales at its UK-based cafe franchises recovered from Covid-19 ahead of the wider UK coffee market in 2021.
Industries will know by the end of this week which of them are considered critical, says Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Farmers and primary producers are getting financial assistance to prepare for an Omicron outbreak.
F&B stakeholders including HortNZ and NZKFG are still waiting to see if exporters are considered critical businesses.
With Covid cases ballooning in the city, how did the food manufacturer manage to stay open during the peak?
But they will still need to go into self-isolation, says Jacinda Ardern.
We are as frustrated as anyone about the lack of forethought and planning for the management of Omicron, writes HortNZ’s Nadine Tunley.
The West Coast’s Wildfoods Festival has been scrapped, the first time in its 34-year history, due to Covid capacity restrictions at the red setting.
Hospitality New Zealand says the sector also deserves financial assistance to cushion the blow from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The time people need to wait between getting the second shot and the booster for the Pfizer vaccination will be shortened from four months to three as of Friday 4 February.
By requisitioning rapid antigen tests, has the government exposed food industry directors to claims of recklessness?
The Kraft Heinz Company chair Mike Pretty is to share a Sydney factory Omicron case study with the government.
Its NZ vaccine mandate has kicked in and navigating constraints due to Omicron-enforced absenteeism is cited as its top priority.
The Omicron wave about to wash over New Zealand will exacerbate an already tightening labour market.
The government has ordered a further 36 million rapid antigen tests (RATs) to help the country deal with a widespread Omicron outbreak.
Hospitality New Zealand says New Zealand’s move into the red traffic light setting has scared people into a “voluntary lockdown”.
Staff shortages slowed manufacturing, choked distribution and pushed costs sky-high for the baked goods manufacturer.
Beverage makers report strong peak summer sales, although rising costs and event cancellations eat into performance.
Jacinda Ardern says the country will remain in red “for some weeks” to combat the spread of Omicron.
The government will consider providing more targeted help for the most affected sectors.
Sealord will not make Covid-19 vaccinations compulsory for New Zealand staff, seeking instead to mirror in the workplace what could reasonably be expected in a public environment.
The multinational hikes prices on a range of food products, joining a number of peers moving to offset rising commodity and supply chain costs.
The Restaurant Association says 40% of its members reported having to deal with rude or aggressive customers due to the transition on Friday to the traffic light Covid-19 Protection Framework.
Hospitality in Auckland finally re-opens but expect the environment to be fluid, says the coffee company.
Mounting skills shortages and ongoing supply chain disruptions are among the key challenges for company directors, according to the Institute of Directors and ASB Bank’s annual survey.
Exclusion from the government’s $37.5m summer reactivation scheme fro Auckland “another kick in the guts” for struggling hospo morale.
Heineken is opening two pop-up barbershops in selected venues around central Auckland to tie-in with the country’s move to the Covid-19 Protection Framework ‘traffic light’ system on Friday 3 December.
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Much of the top half of the North Island will start the new Covid-19 Protection Framework on Friday at red.
Grocery workers are suffering the mental health effects of customer hostility and lack of safety in their workplace.
Karma Drinks has pledged 100% of revenue from today’s Black Friday sales on its Shop.KarmaDrinks.co.nz website will go towards supporting the hospitality industry.
The salad supplier grapples with increasing costs and conducts a review of margins to ensure acceptable returns.
Delaying the opening of New Zealand’s border to foreign nationals until 30 April 2022 will see more hospitality businesses going to the wall, says Hospitality New Zealand.
Supermarket chain Countdown has mandated the Covid-19 vaccine for staff, meaning its entire 21,000-strong workforce would need to be fully vaccinated by January 10.
The free NZ Pass Verifier app to scan and verify My Vaccine Passes is now available for businesses and events to download.
Employers will soon be able to use a tool from the government the assess whether they need to have their staff vaccinated.
Businesses will open under the new Covid-19 Protection Framework on Friday 3 December but no region will start in green.
DB Breweries is offering every fully vaccinated employee $250 to spend on drinks and eating out to encourage Covid-19 vaccination and provide support for the hospitality sector.
Mussels were the hardest hit of Sanford’s three divisions, with rebuilding profitability a priority for 2022.
The hospitality group was hit by Delta blues in first half, but a period of consolidation and cost-cutting puts in better shape for recovery.
The Restaurant Association said it is “frustrated” at the lack of clarity and information being provided to the hospitality around the roll out of Covid-19 vaccine passports.
However, people will need to be fully vaccinated or show a negative Covid test before leaving the region.
The Kāpiti Food Fair has been cancelled due to Covid uncertainty.
The government must set a date for when Auckland’s borders will be lifted and hospitality venues can re-open, says Hospitality New Zealand.
New food and grocery outlets have been added to the Ministry of Health’s locations of interest as Covid-19 continues to creep south.
Hospitality venues and accommodation operators will next week start a campaign to re-open their doors.
Foodstuffs supermarkets have teamed up with Canterbury District Health Board’s vaccination team to host community clinics.
While retail and tourist attractions will be able to open, hospitality still suffers in Covid-19 alert level 3.2.
There is no evidence of Covid-19 transmission via food or food packaging, says a new report.
Z Energy has seen record interim food and beverage sales at its Z Espress stations.
Zespri says the industry is now planning for a substantial labour shortage for the 2022 season.
The top half of the Far North has gone into Covid-19 alert level 3 after two unlinked community cases were detected.
Without a law change, it is risky for employers to mandate vaccination in any workplace, says Horticulture New Zealand.
The supermarket chain is consulting on a proposal that will see all of its 18,000 employees subject to a vaccine mandate.
The inability of restaurants to open before step 3 of the Covid-19 alert level system is disappointing for the industry, says the Restaurant Association.
Retailers, museums, and zoos will be able to open as Covid restrictions loosen.
Food and grocery outlets from Northland to Christchurch are now locations of interest in relations to the current Delta outbreak, according to the Ministry of Health.
A shipment of 300,000 rapid antigen tests has arrived in New Zealand and is now being rolled out across some of the country’s largest businesses as part of a government-approved trial.
Lion NZ has temporarily closed its warehouse in Christchurch following a visit from a Covid-positive truck driver moving bulk goods at the location early last week.
The horticulture and wine grape industries have welcomed the evolution of quarantine-free travel following a trial for Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme workers from the Pacific.
Lockdown helped drive growth in the supermarket group’s Q1 results with e-commerce surging.
Two cases from one household have been detected in the city.
The government has confirmed a package of changes to improve rent relief measures for both landlords and tenants as part of the Covid-19 Response (Management Measures) Legislation Bill.
Mandating vaccination for hospitality staff is welcome but it could present challenges and extra costs, say industry groups.
Staff vaccination will soon be compulsory for hospitality, events, and other close-contact businesses.
The latest locations of interest in connection with the Delta outbreak include a raft of food retailers including the first South Island locations in the current outbreak
The government is boosting payments to businesses affected by the Delta outbreak as the country transitions to a new Covid-19 Protection Framework.
The quantity of SunGold Kiwifruit licence to be released in 2022 has been slashed in half to 350 hectares.
The Restaurant Association has welcomed a move by the government to introduce an enhanced business support package.
The meal kit company says it raised prices this month to offset increased ingredients and labour costs.
Super Saturday exceeded expectations with 130,002 doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine delivered across the country.
A new international survey from global public opinion and data company YouGov has underlined the contribution hospitality venues make to social and mental wellbeing.
Countdown and Foodstuffs are supporting Super Saturday’s Vaxathon to help drive up the country’s vaccination rate.
Foodstuffs North Island, Countdown and Mainfreight are among more than 25 companies who have received the green light to introduce rapid antigen testing this month.
The Gisborne business is pumping millions into its pilot undercover growing project to test the environmental and productivity gains it can unlock.
KFC is partnering with radio stations ZM and Flava to offer free chicken as part of an NZME campaign encouraging a 90% vaccination rate.
The Restaurant Association is backing a Covid-19 vaccination campaign launched by some of Wellington’s most popular restaurants and bars to encourage staff and customers to get their jabs.
The Help for Hospo fund is supporting hospitality workers in need, distributing privately donated funds to those needing additional help beyond the wage subsidy and other means.
Northland and Waikato might be able to move to level 2 this Thursday midnight.
Dozens of supermarkets and grocers have been named locations of interest in connection with the current Covid outbreak centered on Auckland.
What does shifting demand mean for the future of the informal channel, which plays a big role for NZ brands such as A2 Milk?
The government is meeting business leaders today to discuss a rollout of rapid antigen tests to help keep workplaces safe.
Dozens of grocery and supermarket stores have been listed this week as locations of interest in connection with the Delta outbreak in Auckland and Waikato.
Hospitality New Zealand says the “industry’s fury is growing” with the government for not providing legal cover over vaccine certificates.
Foodstuffs North Island, Woolworths New Zealand, and Mainfreight are among a group of the country’s largest companies calling for emergency approval of rapid antigen tests.
The Employers & Manufacturers Association is calling for the carrying of digital vaccine passports to enter the workplace.
Lockdowns, lower demand for bulk products, and labour costs all eat into the supermarket salad supplier’s bottom line.
Targetted support for the hospitality sector is desperately needed if businesses in Auckland are to survive, say industry groups.
PM Jacinda Ardern outlines the government’s new three-step plan to ease restrictions in the city.
Stores have reduced hours and shifted to level 3 protocols after parts of the region entered lockdown overnight.
Businesses can now apply to take part in the government’s self-isolation pilot scheduled to start in October.
The Brewers Association of New Zealand is calling on the government to provide targeted support for hospitality.
Hospitality New Zealand and Retail New Zealand say they have concerns about the government’s request for retail workers to get Covid-19 tests.
Measures are being taken to help businesses resolve disputes over commercial rent, says the government.
Packaging specialist Pakworld has had a bump in business as food firms look for local alternatives to importing materials because of Covid-19 disruption to global supply chains.
The pilot will allow a short business trip overseas for fully-vaccinated people but they must self-isolate for 14 days when they return to New Zealand.
Just under a quarter of Restaurant Association members support a vaccine passport to enter hospitality venues and events.
Zespri says it has launched its emergency management plans and is co-operating with the relevant government agencies after a sample of its kiwifruit from the Bay of Plenty tested positive for Covid-19 in China.
Ongoing lockdowns in Australia and New Zealand are creating challenges including increasing operating costs, says Restaurant Brands.
The Restaurant Association has unveiled stage one of its Future of Hospitality Roadmap to help industry recover from the Covid-19 crisis.
Even when Covid-era shipping disruption is unwound, it appears unlikely that pricing will return to 2019 levels.
Speciality grocery chain plans to introduce a vaccination clause in new employment frontline employment contracts in the wake of the Delta outbreak.
Level 3 allows some doors to creak open and the increase in indoor numbers to 100 for level 2 areas is welcomed.
PM Jacinda Ardern says the rest of NZ will remain at level 2 but the indoor cap of 50 people will lift to 100.
Countdown Botany Downs and Pak’nSave Sylvia Park are among the latest Auckland retailers added to the Ministry of Health’s locations of interest in connection with the city’s Covid outbreak.
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern will announce at 4pm this afternoon whether the government will reduce the Covid-19 alert level 4 setting for Auckland.
Additional Auckland supermarkets, dairies and petrol stations have been added as locations of interest in connection with the Delta outbreak in Auckland.
Cassels Brewing, Bootleg Food, and Clevedon Buffalo are among the food firms to have their growth initiatives stalled.
Workers travelling through the Auckland border checkpoints are now required to produce evidence of a Covid-19 test taken in the prior seven days.
The government has approved a managed isolation and quarantine allocation pilot for exporters.
Gilmours Manukau has been named a location of interest in connection with the Delta outbreak in Auckland.
Hospitality New Zealand has called on the government to provide clarity over eligibility for the wage subsidy.
The extension of Auckland’s level 4 lockdown for at least a week increases the likelihood of more hospitality operators going out of business, says Hospitality New Zealand.
Auckland remains at level 4 until midnight Tuesday 21 September, the rest of NZ stays at level 2 until then.
The decision to keep Auckland at Covid-19 alert level 4 has triggered a third round of the wage subsidy scheme, which will open for applications at 9am this Friday.
The latest update to Delta locations of interest in Auckland sees more supermarkets added to the Ministry of Health’s list.
The details are yet to be finalised but government confirmation that quarantine-free travel will commence in October for workers from Vanuatu, Tonga and Samoa has provided a boost to growers.
Cabinet will decide this afternoon whether to reduce the Covid-19 alert level 4 setting for Auckland.
A swathe of supermarkets including Farro Mt Eden have been added to the Ministry of Health’s locations of interest in Auckland.
Retail card spending in New Zealand fell 19.8% in August compared with July reflecting reduced spending as the country went into lockdown mid-month, according to Stats NZ.
The Restaurant Association has welcomed two Delta-era government decisions, namely to extend the resurgence support payment scheme and to confirm customer-facing hospitality staff can receive priority vaccinations.
The Restaurant Association and Hospitality New Zealand are calling on the government to provide targeted support for struggling hospitality businesses.
Inland Revenue is seeing increased demand for resurgence support payments and other assistance schemes that it administers due to the Delta outbreak, according to revenue minister David Parker.
A three year project to rebuild FSNI’s supply chain was delivered just in time for Delta, and sets the co-op up for an increasingly digital future.
Latest spending figures released today by Heart of the City confirm a loss of nearly $750m of consumer spending since the first border closure in February 2020, which equates to an average of $560,000 per business.
What Delta has meant for staffing and store challenges, vaccinations and “maskholes”, according to FSNI’s CEO.
The return to alert level two means all Countdown stores outside of Auckland will move back to their regular trading hours from today, 9 September.
Small food firms battling supply chain congestion for 18 months are now being squeezed “at both ends” in the latest lockdown, with concerns growing over how long they can keep going.
The Restaurant Association is urging the government to come up with targeted support that reflects the dire situation of its members.
The Brewers Association of New Zealand has called on the government to allow for refund or remission of excise tax on returned product that is wasted as a result of Covid-19 lockdowns.
All Foodstuffs stores outside of the Auckland boundary are operating under new Covid-19 alert level 2 conditions from midnight Tuesday 7 September.
The 50-person limit on indoor venues will hurt already struggling operators, say industry groups.
However, the move comes with new restrictions including lower caps on the number of customers a venue can host.
Countdown has called in trauma psychologists who have met with staff who were working when a terrorist carried out an attack on shoppers in Auckland’s New Lynn supermarket on Friday.
Talley’s chief executive Tony Hazlett says the company is aiming to have more than 80% of its staff vaccinated as soon as possible and it is liaising with local district health boards to organise vaccination drives on-site.
Countdown stores throughout the Auckland region, from Pōkeno to Warworth, will open their doors to medical personnel, MIQ and emergency workers from 7am to 8am every day.
Businesses affected by the latest Covid-19 alert level lockdowns can apply for the next instalment of the government’s reactivated wage subsidy from today, Friday 3 September.
Otago cheese producer Whitestone has made an offer to provide free cheese to healthcare professionals in a bid to encourage staff to man a proposed drive-through Covid-19 vaccination centre in Oamaru.
The increase in spending on food was second only to IT equipment and software after the country went into its snap lockdown in mid-August.
Many hospitality businesses will fail due to the lockdown unless the government provides targeted support, says Hospitality New Zealand.
Around 40 supermarkets have been added to the Ministry of Health’s list of locations of interest in connection with the current Delta outbreak.
The team behind Visa Wellington On a Plate, supported by WellingtonNZ, have relaunch At Yours, the region-wide directory of eateries offering takeaway meals and delivery at Level 3.
F&B manufacturers are keen to get essential services staff vaccinated but it’s not easy, despite government encouragement.
A smaller vintage sees the value of exports drop 3% just as industry achieves its 10-year $2bn goal.
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Revenue was down 6% in FY21, although online sales jumped more than 30%.
Countdown brings the opening of replacement centre forward eight weeks to help ease pressure in the North Island.
The government is in “really close contact” with the country’s supermarkets to support them through lockdown challenges, says PM Jacinda Ardern.
The Commerce Commission has reminded all businesses supplying essential services in the current nationwide Covid-19 lockdown of their obligations under the Commerce Act.
Foodstuffs is making a number of product donations.
However, Auckland could stay at level 4 for a further two weeks.
The Canterbury-based company has stood up a raft of ever more stringent measures to protect against the latest outbreak.
Outlets like the fast food giant will learn today if they can soon restart business under level 3, which some say still makes profit impossible.
More than 2100 Countdown staff members are isolating across New Zealand.
The Tip Top bread owner boosts production to meet surging lockdown demand, but it comes as costs escalate across the group.
The council’s CEO has warned that food manufacturing could soon be critically impacted by staff shortages.
Sales and merchandising agencies are stepping up to help supermarkets cope with reduced staff numbers with merchandisers working overtime and select product deliveries going straight to stores
The supermarket chain has more than 1,900 team members across Auckland and Wellington isolating and it expected that number to rise.
Distributors are seeing demand spike from retail, helping to plug the gap left by the closed foodservice channel.
Four supermarkets have been added this morning to the list of locations of interest connected to the Delta outbreak.
The government’s Covid-19 Resurgence Support Payment is now open for application.
The snap lockdown has piled more pressure on already congested supply chains, says the company’s MD, Don Braid.
First half sales jump 41% and underlying net profit doubles on the back of Covid-free trading in NZ and Californian KFC deal.
The supermarket group expects the number of staff affected to keep rising as locations of interest and close contact lists grow.
PM Jacinda Ardern says there are 14,000+ contacts, some of whom are in the South Island.
A Foodstuffs survey found that New Zealanders are supportive of the Ministry of Health’s requirement that people aged 12 and over must wear a face covering when visiting any essential services and for essential workers to be prioritised for the Covid vaccination.
The government is introducing mandatory record keeping is being introduced for busy places and large gatherings to ensure it can contact trace quickly.
Dozens of stores have been affected with staff being relocated to cope with demand and to try and plug gaps caused by the Delta outbreak.
Buy NZ Made is urging shoppers to shop online from food and beverage companies, buy vouchers or place an order that can be shipped when the country moves down alert levels.
The government is restarting childcare for workers in Alert Level 4 businesses and services, which was available during last year’s national lockdown, education minister Chris Hipkins has confirmed.
A long lockdown could play havoc with new product launches, change customer demand patterns and result in distribution delays.
The Dairy and Business Owners Group is calling for enhanced police support and Covid-19 vaccination prioritisation for essential workers at the country’s convenience retailers.
With the foodservice channel shut, manufacturers are looking to supermarkets to pick up the slack.
Foodstuffs is running a ‘no mask, no entry’ policy, whereas Countdown plans to avoid any potential conflict.
Supermarkets, restaurants, bars, and liquor stores are among dozens of locations visited by current Covid cases.
The government is today expected to provide details on a move to bump supermarket workers up the vaccination priority list which would see jabs being given on-site.
Coromandel’s Star and Garter Hotel is among more than a dozen hospitality, tourism, and retail outlets named locations of interest.
“Keep calm, be kind,” says Countdown, as stores are inundated across the city.
Business travel, the ability to access skilled staff, and the hospitality sector will all benefit from a successful implementation.
