Failed online supermarket operator Supie has named Fonterra, Tatua, SC Johnson and Mars as suppliers who refused to use the wholesale supermarkets regime designed to allow competitors access at the same reasonable prices as the duopoly of Woolworths and Foodstuffs, proving yet again that finger-wagging at monopoly power is pointless, and shows the last three years of prevaricating over structural separation or a forced partial sale was wasted;
The cost of living crisis is hurting the very voters Labour promised to be transformative for.
The Left have done sweet fuck all for the material hardships of poverty, housing, inequality and climate change.
The woke are great at vegan militant cyclist free the nipple protests in support of the Trans community, not so good at challenging the neoliberal hegemonic economic structure.
As I have pointed out tirelessly, while Labour saved us from Covid, they haven’t saved us from the ruthlessness of the under regulated free market.
Covid taught us food security matters and a Supermarket chain that embeds a cheaper food security while supporting local supplies is a necessity to correct a broken market!
Government should take up the original threat by the commerce Commission to break up the duopoly and enter into a deal with Iwi to stock a new chain of Government/Iwi Supermarkets that champion local produce at better prices for the consumer and better worker conditions.
We need a kiwi subsidy on all local produce to recognize that producers have already used water and created local climate changing gases to create their product and as such consumers have already paid a price just to get the product to their table.
We should feed the 5million here first before boasting about feeding 40million world wide!
Calls to ‘feed the 5 million first’ before exporting NZ food
People are going hungry even though New Zealand produces enough food to feed 40 million – and it’s spurring calls for the country to “feed the five million first”.
Almost 40 percent of New Zealand households experience food insecurity, while 19 percent of children live in households that experience food insecurity.
Poverty researcher Dr Rebekah Graham said while working on her thesis on food insecurity, she interviewed a woman who walked for 90 minutes each day to get a free community meal.
A state owned 3rd supermarket chain would do more for providing a cheaper means of living to all kiwis who have food security issues. It would do more for welfare than any single PM since Savage.
Of course Labour failed to regulate capitalism and we now have a Right Wing Government whose position is this…
…so thanks Labour for squandering once in a generation MMP majority and allowing the greedy Duopoly to continue to screw the very v voters you promised to be transformative for.
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They used The Market, owned by The Warehouse, who in turned are partly owned by Countdown – who purchased because The Warehouse wanted to sell groceries.
It was turtles all the way down anyway.
Jstroll
I think you don’t understand business pressures. Don’t diss entities as a kneejerk action. The Warehouse has been important for NZ’s good.
2022 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Warehouse_Group
The Warehouse did not plan to become another Countdown or New World with hundreds of different cereals, but sought to offer a limited range of key basic essentials, including fresh and frozen foods, he said.
Sept2023 https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/retail/weet-bixgate-the-warehouse-squares-off-against-sanitarium
Still advancing. https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/10/25/the-warehouse-adds-fresh-produce-to-10-more-stores/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Warehouse_Group
2020 https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/122887417/the-warehouse-founder-stephen-tindall-retires-from-company-after-nearly-40-years
2021 https://finance.yahoo.com/news/type-shareholders-warehouse-group-limiteds-170626484.html
…Stephen Tindall is currently the largest shareholder, with 27% of shares outstanding. With 21% and 20% of the shares outstanding respectively, The Tindall Foundation Inc., Endowment Arm and James Pascoe Limited are the second and third largest shareholders….
There are some institutional shareholders apparently. I am just getting a worms eye view of how things might be. In 2006 Foodstuffs and Woolworths homed in and got a small but significant holding each.
2006 https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/whats-going-on-behind-theshed/EO347JPNFD3REX27NKDYARADAY/
…With Foodstuffs and Woolworths each holding 10 per cent of The Warehouse Group, there are questions over whether Tindall can fast track The Warehouse Extra groceries plan.
Overseas holdings/ownership of NZ basic businesses needs to be pruned.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/forestry-company-juken-proposes-closure-of-gisborne-mill-80-jobs-at-risk/F3BB6PWEO5G3TBBGYDS3TUDLEU/
Could we with a national trust investment arm buy into something old but steady and continuing to be relevant – wood products from what is now Juken at Gisborne. (80 jobs with people and dependent families and that region being hit hard by climate. Working with forestry in all ways would seem to have the right ‘optics’ for the region; (is that the right current term?).
You suggesting collective farms are you?
Martyn – Agree…but Supie had very expensive items for sale that were somewhat niche products, for example, heaps of tofu products, bugger all instant noodles.
Yep. Nothing Naughty fills a similar niche (gluten free, etc) and seems to be doing OK. The proposal to open automated convience stores seemed interesting though. I belive the only way to get retail prices down is to slash overheads and massively adopt automation. It is why Gull sells much cheaper petrol in its self serving petrol stations.
For what it is worth, I think the govt should give up surplus Crown land and RMA concessions to a third party supermarket retailer.
The story of Supie is a sad tale except the story that some individual has donated the money to cover unpaid wages of the staff.
One moment of light in a world of darkness
Hold a referendum. Option 1 do nothing. Option 2 nationalise 20-40 percent of all supermarkets at cost to Govt/new entrant. Option 3 nationalise 20-40 percent of all supermarkets to Govt for nothing. I think option 3 sounds pretty fair considering. Keep the staff and the suppliers with just the owners out of pocket. Bliss.
Reject all three options and allow the “Invisible Hand” do do it’s magic.
The “Invisible Hand” is our friend.
Is that the one that goes up the body under the clothes – like in a glove purppet?
No, not that one.
The suppliers are ruthless cunts too, “Fonterra, Tatua, SC Johnson and Mars” case in point.
Speaking Afrikaans?
Or is that just a Curry flavour?
The cost of living crisis is hurting the very voters Labour promised to be transformative for … The Left have done sweet fuck all for the material hardships of poverty, housing, inequality and climate change.
Accordingly, Labour got what they deserved for ignoring the needs of their core constituents.
NZ badly needs structural reform and the 2020 election that delivered the Labour led government with a true mandate to initiate this form of structural change through the introduction of CGT or FTT (and possibly even exploring UBI) – but this got undermined by Covid and the rest is history – as are the Labour government.
The only bright spot is that the Nationa/ACT/Winston First coalition of incompetence, will fuck things up even worse, and possilby hand the reins back to Labour/Greens next election.
Who are sitting on a an overwhelming top of pile in NZ? Amongst the group are management consultants – for our size we are having our juice sucked up by an overwhelming bunch of hornets.
What is the Big 4? The Big 4 are the four largest international accounting and professional services firms. They are Deloitte [since 1845], EY, KPMG and PwC. Each provides audit, tax, consulting and financial advisory services to major corporations.
What are the Big 4 ? – TechTarget Definition
techtarget.com
https://www.techtarget.com › definition › Big-4-Final-4
(So big and well-embedded they often are referred to by their initials – by memory – Ernst Young, Price Waterhouse Cooper, have to check other.
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › KPMG The name “KPMG” stands for “Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler” (Netherlands)
We are losing services at the citizen level with big business deciding that profit is all ie cheques have gone. Could be actual cash money too if we aren’t aware – use money, get cash with eftpos where possible.
American living in NZ stunned at everyday Kiwi things that don’t exist in the US :
…But the biggest shock to Kiwis was that bank transfers are not popular in the US.
“Kiwis really don’t appreciate how easy it is to transfer money to each other in New Zealand.
“In America, you can’t do it for free.
“You have to use an app like Venmo or Cash App. It links with your bank account so you can send someone money but then it takes a fee every time you transfer it out.
“If you just want to bank-to-bank wire someone it’s like between $25 and $50 each time. So yeah, it’s f***ed.” https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/american-living-in-nz-stunned-at-everyday-kiwi-things-that-dont-exist-in-the-us/KCYAFMZ4YRDNZE7CUTFJGJMKMI/
Regardless whether this was some millionaires tax write-off, or the generosity of a person/company who had money to spare, I am reminded of the generous nature of so many in NZ who contribute their time and effort to helping people in need. I find it a comforting part of the culture. It contributes to softening the blow of current capitalistic trends, and can be quite personally rewarding as well.
Put the pedal to the metal and accelerate this Capitalist bus over the cliff and into the fascist chasm…
Thanks Westminster system!
aldi lidl netto or whatever is what’s really needed…we subsidise movie studios, I don’t care how much it takes to bribe foreign grocers just fuckin do it…do we need ikea NO do we need a better selection of cheaper grocedries HELL YES
Better slash the obscene profits.
An example how it is done elsewhere.
Migros, largest Swiss chain (co-op in the bastion of capitalism) has firm policy : If the profit climbs over 6% prices must be reduced.
NZ “operators” would not get out of their beds for paltry 6%.
We pay pretty much Swiss prices but do not get paid Swiss wages.
BTW it would be good to know the real reason why Aldi decided not to enter NZ market. Distance and small population are excuses only brainwashed Kiwis would believe.
May I suggest that gangs enter grocery business, perhaps as joint venture. They already have highly developed supply chain management, connevtions everywhere, would not need to spend a cent on security…and am sure would honour their customer loyalty reward plans.
Movie industry and IKEA provide nice photo opportunities.
Nothing else matters.
I think the following excerpt from Gordon Campbell’s article describes well the unfortunate state of business in NZ …
“A looming obstacle to this country ever putting effective competition law into practice is that we now have a Prime Minister elect in Christopher Luxon who has recently been touting his business expertise in “mergers and acquisitions” as being a key part of his credentials for higher office. Yet mergers and acquisitions are ways of increasing the market concentration among existing players, and those advocating mergers have always tended to regard Commerce Commission regulations (against anti-competitive takeovers) as being the enemy of commerce. Even worse, the leader of the Act Party seems to regard neo-monopolies and virtual cartels as a sign of market acumen and a just reward for sound business management. The incoming government looks like being the new BFF of entrenched market dominance.”
http://werewolf.co.nz/2023/11/gordon-campbell-on-breaking-up-the-supermarket-duopoly/
And you have proof that a 3rd player will drive prices down? 100% proof?
Supie has proven its hard to compete with the Supermarkets which in turn perhaps proves the Supermarkets are doing an alright job.
The early demise of businesses founded on Ponzi type principles good for society and especially the vulnerable. That is why we need good regulation and oversee business.
Innovation is one thing, setting out to defraud people is another.
When it looks too good to be true then it is probably a flying pig. An illusion!