News and media releases

Kiwis have embraced ugly, with sales of Countdown’s The Odd Bunch fruit and vegetables increasing by more than 145 per cent in the last year.

The Odd Bunch launched in 2017 to help reduce food waste, sourcing more produce from growers, and make fruit and veges more affordable for Kiwi shoppers.  

Auckland’s central city shoppers will soon experience a brand new type of food and grocery store with construction starting on Countdown’s first Metro in lower Albert Street.

The new Metro store, set to open in December, will create 50 new jobs and give city customers a curated range for a quick and easy shop on the go, including kombucha and cold brew coffee on tap, takeaway coffees, and an extensive range of food-to-go options for breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner which will change throughout the day.

Countdown is recalling its Woolworths Crunchy Natural Almonds 225g Snackpots with a best before date of 2/01/2020. The products have been sold in Countdown​ stores nationwide between 30 June and 6 August 2019.

After a successful trial in 18 supermarkets, Countdown has announced that from today it will accept BYO (bring your own) containers for food sold over the counter in its supermarkets nationwide.

This gives customers the choice to reduce single-use plastic and re-use their own containers at Countdown’s deli, meat and seafood counters.

From 2 September, customers will need to be 16 years or older to buy energy drinks at Countdown’s 180 supermarkets nationwide.

The decision comes in response to growing concerns raised by health leaders about the impact increased consumption of high-sugar, highly-caffeinated energy drinks is having on New Zealand children.

Countdown is aiming to sell more than 50,000 packs of lamingtons this July, to raise funds for the four out of five New Zealanders who are affected by alzheimers or dementia in some way.

The humble raspberry or chocolate coconut-covered Kiwi icon has raised more than $150,000 for Alzheimers New Zealand in the last ten years, and Countdown is preparing for another great year of fundraising which is now underway throughout July.

Countdown has removed 1889 tonnes of plastic bags from circulation in New Zealand since May 2018 - equivalent to eight fully loaded jumbo jets.

To mark the start of this year’s Plastic Free July and new plastic bag legislation coming into effect, Countdown has released data which shows Kiwi shoppers have continued to embrace the move away from plastic bags.

Countdown customers will soon see paper bags available for purchase at checkouts, with the government ban on the sale and distribution of single-use plastic shopping bags coming into effect on 1 July.

The new paper bags are 100 per cent recyclable, made from Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper, and will cost 20c each.

From this Monday, 10 June Countdown will accept BYO containers for food sold over-the-counter in its Christchurch, Amberley, Kaiapoi, Rangiora and Rolleston stores, as well as Auckland’s Mt Eden and Mt Roskill Countdown supermarkets.

This will give customers in these 18 stores the choice to re-use their own containers for deli, meat and seafood counters, and aims to help Countdown finalise its national processes to roll out BYO containers nationwide.

The Salvation Army in New Zealand has hit a million dollar milestone, but says its work is far from done.

The Foodbank Project, a joint initiative between The Salvation Army, Nelson-based developers Lucid and Countdown supermarkets has just ticked over $1 million in donations providing more than 33,000 food parcels and other essentials for Kiwis in need since it launched in 2015.