22 Sep 2012

Supermarket closes because mall's not a good location

4:56 pm on 22 September 2012

One of two supermarkets in the Hutt Valley suburb of Wainuiomata has been shut down with the loss of 44 jobs because its owner, Foodstuffs, says the location isn't good for business.

New World, which was in the suburb's mall, closed on Friday leaving it with one supermarket for its nearly 17,000 residents.

Foodstuffs Wellington brands general manager, George Sutherland, says the New World store needed reinvestment, but they weren't willing to put money into it, in it's current location.

He says it wasn't easy laying off the 44 staff, but the organisation is looking at other locations for a possible new store in the future.

The store's owner-operator, Shaun McCarthy, says it has been a challenging couple of years, but now his main concern is helping the staff.

He expects the store will be packed up and emptied in a week.