Foodstuffs North Island is organising an event this Friday to support small local suppliers impacted by the New World Victoria Park blaze.
A fire erupted at the New World Victoria Park supermarket last week, rendering all products and items on-site unusable.
Foodstuffs North Island chief executive Chris Quin said around 70 small local suppliers had their products stocked at the store. These suppliers distribute their goods in 20 or fewer stores within the Foodstuffs network.
“It had a real farmers’ market feel, and the customers who shopped there were genuinely curious and open to discovering new things,” Quin said.
“For many of these suppliers, Victoria Park was a significant part of their business – in some cases, the biggest outlet they had.”
The event will unite approximately 45 affected suppliers with local Foodstuffs store owners from across the greater Auckland area who might be interested in carrying their products.
“We’re creating a space where they can meet a number of potential new stockists all at once. If there’s something we can do to support them, we’re going to do it,” Quin stated.
Foodstuffs, according to Quin, is also collaborating closely with the small suppliers affected by the fire to understand their unique situations and offer support wherever necessary.
“We know this has had a real impact, and we’re committed to doing the right thing by our suppliers.”
“Supporting local producers is part of our DNA as a 100% locally owned co-operative, and we’ll be doing what we can to help them get through this challenging time.”
The investigation into the fire is still underway.
Once the investigation is finished, specialists will access the site to assess what measures are needed to ensure the building is safe before the cleanup process can start.