The first new Canterbury PAK’nSAVE store in nearly nine years opened today in Christchurch.

Set over 6,260 square metres, the new Papanui store marks a significant milestone as the last store that opened its doors in the region was the Rangiora branch in September 2015.

The Supermarket News website said staffing at the new store will provide 100 additional roles, alongside the 210 team members brought over from their former Northlands Mall PAK’nSAVE.

Foodstuffs South Island Chief Executive Mary Devine told Supermarket News, “PAK’nSAVE Papanui offers a great shopping experience and shows our commitment to sustainability and the growing community of Papanui.”

“There’s lots of natural light coming into the store, enhancing the fresh food offerings in produce, seafood, and butchery. There are also 22 self-service checkouts and 90 SHOP’nGO scanners to save customers time and money as they can scan and pack their groceries as they shop,” Devine said.

Owner-operators Bryan Walker and Lucy Boock told Supermarket News that everything from PAK’nSAVE Northlands would be reused, with surplus produce being redistributed to the local food rescue organisation Satisfy Food Rescue, and team members would wear the uniforms from their previous store.

The store is equipped to trade continuously for three days in an emergency or natural disaster, including water storage and an on-site generator to ensure customers have access to all the essentials.

The new PAK’nSAVE is located on the corner of Northcote Road and Main North Road in town.