The supermarket is on the site of the old Smiths City store, which closed in January, and now the trust has confirmed the mall’s old Countdown site will also soon be filled.
Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust trustee and director David Tapsell said Timezone was set to open on December 19 – “the next best secret” – with CityFitness expected to join it on the site next year.
In total, Tapsell expected the three businesses would create “easily another 200 jobs”.
After today’s opening celebrations, FreshChoice assistant checkout manager Adele Goldsack was straight to work, alongside checkout manager Dee Halbert and grocery manager Markus Grootendorst.
The trio previously worked together at the Central Mall Countdown, which closed in May 2024, sending the friends their separate ways.
Dee Halbert (left), Adele Goldsack and Markus Grootendorst on their first day at Rotorua’s newest FreshChoice supermarket. Photo / Annabel Reid
At the time, the Countdown closure was described as “disastrous” by First Union, which represented more than 30 affected staff at the supermarket.
Goldsack said when the opportunity arose to join the new FreshChoice, the three reunited, “making us feel a bit whole again”.
“It’s like nothing’s changed”, Grootendorst said – just a different uniform.
Woolworths New Zealand, formerly branded as Countdown, owns the FreshChoice brand, with local franchises operated by individual store owners.
The new supermarket is co-owned by Wayne and Michelle Parry with Michael and Paula Beattie, who also opened Rotorua’s first FreshChoice in 2017 on Te Ngae Rd in Ōwhata.
Rotorua Central Mall FreshChoice executive general manager Tim Cartwright (left) with co-owners Wayne Parry and Paula Beattie. Photo / Annabel Reid
Their first FreshChoice store was the 27th in New Zealand.
Cartwright said the Rotorua store was the first in the North Island to feature the “FreshChoice 3.0 look”, designed to create “an elevated, cohesive and immersive shopping experience”.
He said there was a focus on sustainability, with recycling systems reducing high-volume waste and refrigeration using carbon dioxide energy-efficient technology. Lighting and door features also helped conserve energy.
Tapsell said the new supermarket would “absolutely” bring more foot traffic through the mall and city centre.
Last year local businesses raised concerns losing Countdown site could be “devastating” for foot traffic through the mall.
The trust’s focus was on driving economic development and creating employment opportunities for future generations of whānau living in the city.
Tapsell said mall workers had already commented on the convenience of the supermarket’s location.
The goal was to make Central Mall a destination for experiences as well as shopping, he said.
Annabel Reid is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post, based in Rotorua. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, she has a Bachelor of Communications from the University of Canterbury.