Countdown Credit Cards

Countdown

What do you need to know about Countdown before you apply for one of its credit cards?

Countdown: A Little History

Known as Countdown within New Zealand, the supermarket chain forms part of Woolworths New Zealand, a subsidiary of the publicly-listed Australian company, Woolworths Limited. But how did this huge chain get to where it is today?

Let’s start with the establishment of the three main components of what is now Countdown. Woolworths opened its first store in Wellington in 1929, Foodtown opened its first supermarket in Auckland in 1958, and Countdown opened its first supermarket in Christchurch in 1981. From there, the Countdown and Foodtown businesses were all brought together under Woolworths New Zealand in 1993.

While these stores continued under their own branding for some time, in 2008, the landmark Greenlane Foodtown was converted into the first 'New Generation' Countdown. This store continued the Countdown tradition of low prices in a modern store environment, with a wider range of products and a larger area devoted to fresh foods.

It was at this point the successful Onecard programme was extended to all Countdown stores, complementing the ongoing success of Onecard in Woolworths and Foodtown. By 2011, the rebrand was complete, as the last Foodtown and Woolworths stores were finally updated to become new generation Countdown supermarkets.

Moving Forward

Over the years, the various supermarket groups that now make up Countdown introduced a variety of initiatives to benefit their customers and the community as a whole. In 1996, Woolworths introduced online shopping. Then in 2013, Countdown introduced a ‘price lockdown’, saving New Zealanders $70 million in its first year.

In 2015, Countdown launched ‘Free Fruit for Kids', a New Zealand first that became so popular, the chain now gives away 50,000 pieces of free fruit to kids across the country every week. In 2017, Countdown became the first national retailer to commit to going cage-free in its on-shelf eggs, and in 2018, all Countdown stores went single-use plastic carrier bag free.

Helping Out

Going further in its bid to help out those who need it, Countdown supports a range of charitable organisations across New Zealand. Two major projects include the annual Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal, which has raised $9.3 million since its launch in 2007, and Countdown's Food Rescue programme, launched in partnership with The Salvation Army in 2011 to supply food to families in need.

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