News and media releases

Countdown is supporting efforts to stop wet wipes ending up in New Zealand's wastewater systems by rolling out signage in all of its stores reminding customers not to flush them.
Wet wipes, which have become increasingly popular as New Zealand faces tackles the COVID-19 pandemic, are being flushed down toilets and causing huge, and costly, pipe blockages.

Countdown has today launched a new app called Compass, which enables its supplier partners to more closely monitor sales of their products in any Countdown store.

Available for free on both ios and Android, Compass draws on historical sales patterns to calculate dynamic daily sales expectations for every product in every store.  The app generates alerts for suppliers if sales drop below expectations, giving them the knowledge and opportunity to quickly identify and fix potential out-of-stocks or other issues.

Countdown has today installed Waiheke Island’s first public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at its Waiheke supermarket, in partnership with Evnex.

Waiheke Island residents are early adopters of electric vehicles with more than 200 electric cars already on the island.   Countdown’s new chargers, which are free to use, means customers can now do a top-up charge while they shop.

Young Kiwi conservationists, gardeners and environmental champions at 34 schools and early childhood education centres across the country will now be able to kickstart their sustainability projects, thanks to $26,000 of grants awarded by Countdown.

Customers in three Countdown stores are experiencing a very different-looking produce section from today, as part of a ten-week plastic reduction test which will see more than a tonne of plastic removed from fruit and veges.  More than 800 customers have provided feedback in-store this morning already.

Kiwis can help to provide vitally important support services for queer, gender-diverse & intersex young people in Aotearoa by donating to RainbowYOUTH at Countdown stores nationwide from today.

To kick off Pride for 2020 and to celebrate receiving its Rainbow Tick re-accreditation, Countdown will have donation boxes available in all stores. Rainbow roses will also be sold in 40 selected stores for Valentine’s Day from 12 February, with $1 from the sale of each rose also being donated RainbowYOUTH.  

Countdown will remove plastic produce bags and more than a tonne of other plastic from three of its stores in February, in a ten-week test to see what else can be done to further reduce plastic in the produce section long-term.

From 10 February, customers at Countdown Orewa, Ponsonby and Manukau will try out a new-look ‘Unwrapped’ fruit and vege section, with a lot less plastic and a lot more loose produce, as well as brand new, specially-designed paper and cardboard packaging.

Countdown is recalling its own brand trevally fish fillets sold between 5 - 11 December 2019  in 51 of its North Island Countdown stores. The fillets may contain elevated levels of histamine.

Countdown has unveiled its first Metro small format store in the heart of Auckland’s central city, designed with CBD shoppers firmly in mind.

Kiwis will soon be able to access life-saving automated external defibrillators (AED’s) at 181 Countdown supermarkets across the country.