Supermarket welcome addition to Cuba St
Wellington’s newest supermarket has opened in an area of town that has long been without one – and locals are thrilled at the convenience, they say.
FreshChoice Cuba had its first day yesterday, opening its doors at 9am. It is the third FreshChoice supermarket to open in the Wellington region, alongside Lower Hutt and Greytown.
The supermarket is the only corporateowned grocery store operating in southern Te Aro, with the nearest supermarkets – New World Metro, New World Wellington, and Countdown Newtown – almost at least a kilometre away.
The supermarket’s opening day was going well so far, owner Prithpal “Johnny” Wahid said, with business “pretty good,” and the community response positive.
By almost midday, traffic was picking up, and while it was not yet busy, this was to be expected with Christmas so close, he said. The numbers would return after the new year.
Wahid said he chose the location because it seemed like “such a great spot”. When the head office provided the opportunity to open a store in central Wellington, he jumped at the opportunity.
He and his family live in Porirua but are planning to move to Wellington as soon as they can.
The supermarket’s opening ceremony had taken place yesterday morning, with members of Made by Maranga, a disability collective located in the building above the supermarket, attending and cutting the ribbon.
One of those member is Nick Weaver. Weaver, who was selling tomato and chilli plants he and his friends had grown for koha donations, said the supermarket’s location made purchasing food easy for him and his friends.
He said he attended the ceremony and was given free coffee from the supermarket self-serve coffee machine, which FreshChoice Supermarkets chief executive Tim Cartwright, has said is the country’s first.
Cartwright said the new store will be an option for people who lived in the “hustle and bustle” of Wellington.
The store was the first FreshChoice to open in Wellington.
“The Cuba St store is a great example of modern convenience. We’ve introduced some exciting food-to-go offerings that cater to the busy lifestyles of our customers.”