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The humble lamington leads the way to help Kiwis affected by dementia
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 1899 tonnes of plastic bags from circulation - data shows customers have embraced reusable bags
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 supermarkets ready for government’s plastic shopping bag ban
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.
Countdown to introduce BYO containers in Christchurch and select Auckland stores ahead of national roll-out
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.
Million dollar milestone for The Salvation Army ‘not enough’
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.
Countdown Hawera now New Zealand’s first Be. Accessible accredited supermarket
Countdown Hawera has re-opened its doors today as the country’s first ‘Be. Accessible’ accredited supermarket, after a significant refurbishment put mobility and accessibility at the heart of the store’s redesign.
Countdown’s Dunedin stores first to test mobility car park monitoring via app
From today, Countdown’s Dunedin stores are trialling CCS Disability Action’s Access Aware app, designed to report the misuse of mobility car parks in real time and help keep mobility parks free for when people need them most.
Countdown converts one of the most popular apple varieties to organic as more Kiwis choose to buy organic
Countdown has become the first large New Zealand supermarket retailer to offer only 100 per cent organic Braeburn apples at supermarkets nationwide, rather than the conventionally-grown variety, as demand for organics grows at more than twice the speed of the conventional market.
Kiwis give charities more than $100,000
Countdown customers have voted to donate $100,000 to three of New Zealand’s most loved charities, with KidsCan receiving $37,635, The Salvation Army $34,845, and Forest & Bird $32,550.
Food rescue charities to focus on expansion with new funding
Countdown has announced the recipients of its 2019 Food Rescue Partners Contestable Fund, with $165,000 provided to 12 charities in this year’s round.
Countdown has now donated more than $435,000 to food rescue partners over the last three years, which is designed to increase the capacity and help grow food rescue charities to collect surplus food and distribute it to Kiwis in need.
