COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Latest Updates

We will keep this page up to date so please keep checking back for the latest developments.

Last updated Tues, 9 June 2020, 10am

Kia ora,

With New Zealand now at Level one, we wanted to update you on changes you might notice in our stores and the safety and hygiene measures we’ll continue to have in place to keep you and our team safe.

No longer limiting customer numbers, basic hygiene measures stay in place

We’ll be lifting the limit on the number of people in our stores which means you’ll no longer have to queue during busy periods.

Safety and hygiene is still really important, so please keep washing your hands before and after you shop, and use the hand sanitiser we’ve made available in our stores.

If you’re sick, please stay home and ask a family member or friend to shop for you. Alternatively, use our online delivery service which has plenty of delivery slots available - including same day delivery and pick up for most areas.

All our checkouts (including self-service) will now be open as required. We’ll keep the plastic screens in place for now as an extra hygiene measure but the dividers between checkouts will be removed.

Store trading hours are back to normal from Wednesday

All of our store opening and closing times will be back to normal from Wednesday, with the exception of some stores undergoing refurbishment, and our 24 hours stores which will close at midnight. Check the opening hours for your local store here.

We’re packing your bags again, BYO containers accepted

We know many customers have missed our bag-packing expertise, so from today, our team will return to packing your groceries for you if you would like them to. Our team will be asking customers what they would prefer, so just let them know.

For customers keen to reduce their plastic use, we’ll also be accepting BYO containers at our deli, meat and seafood counters from Wednesday.

Changes to online delivery and BYOBs for pick-up

If you like to BYO Bags for your Pick Up orders, then you will be able to start selecting ‘BYOB @ Pick up’ when placing your order from Wednesday.

Also from Wednesday, unless requested, our deliveries will no longer be contactless - great news if you’ve missed chatting to your local delivery driver over the last few months!

Continuing to support our team and communities

Last week we announced we’d be awarding Woolworths Group shares to 14,400 of our team across our 183 stores and distribution centres. This recognises the extraordinary efforts of our team, the care they have shown to help keep Kiwis safe and fed, and the role they will play in our future. Countdown has an important role to play in supporting our economy to recover from the impact of COVID-19, and we’re proud to give our team a stake in this future.

On Sunday we launched the Countdown Food For Good Foundation, which will provide meaningful and long-lasting support to our communities and help build a stronger, healthier New Zealand for future generations.

Our food rescue and food charity partners like The Salvation Army and KidsCan have seen increased demand in the last few months, and we’re pleased to have provided $1 million in immediate support for them as well as a further $500,000 in funding to support them over the next financial year.

Finally, I wanted to thank you once again for your continued support over the last few months and for the many words of encouragement that have been emailed, sent via Facebook, or written in notes to our store teams. They have meant a lot to all of us here at Countdown.

We look forward to seeing you soon across New Zealand.

Kind regards,
Natalie Davis