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Foodstuffs North Island today brought together supermarket owner operators and international food suppliers from across New Zealand as part of a major International Supplier Expo focused on expanding authentic global food ranges across its stores – with Indian products forming a major part of the showcase.
Held at Foodstuffs North Island’s Landing Drive support centre in Auckland, the event featured around 17 suppliers and close to 200 owner-operators and store representatives from across the co-operative’s New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square network.
Nearly 200 new and existing products were on show, including a significant range of Indian grocery staples, sauces, spices and pantry products designed to better meet the needs of New Zealand’s rapidly growing Indian communities and increasingly adventurous Kiwi shoppers.
Products showcased included items such as Urja Mango Pickle, dried chillies and a wide range of authentic pantry staples and cooking ingredients.
The event was attended by Indian Consul General Dr Madan Mohan Sethi. 
Foodstuffs North Island Chief Executive Chris Quin said the co-operative recognised both the rapid growth of Indian communities in New Zealand and the increasing mainstream demand for authentic Indian food products.
“Indian communities are one of the fastest-growing customer groups in New Zealand and are hugely important to the future of our business and the wider grocery sector,” Quin said.
“But this is also about recognising that New Zealanders’ tastes are changing. Kiwis are increasingly cooking and experimenting with authentic international flavours at home and want easier access to those products in their local supermarket.”
Indian shoppers now represent around 35 percent of New Zealand’s Asian population and an estimated $1.1 billion grocery market. Foodstuffs research also shows Indian shoppers are frequent supermarket customers, averaging 11.4 shopping trips per month.
Quin said the co-operative had recognised an opportunity to improve consistency and accessibility of authentic international products across its network.
“Historically, stores have built these ranges independently, with some offering much more than others. We’ve used market research, shopper insights, customer diaries, supplier engagement and input from our own Chinese and South-East Asian team members to better tailor ranges to local communities and make it easier for customers to find authentic products.”
One of the local owner-operators, Clare Williams, of New World Browns Bay, said: “It’s great to come here today and be able to see and taste the products firsthand. A lot of us don’t always know what’s out there, so events like this are incredibly valuable because they help us discover new products and ranges.
“We can network directly with suppliers, try the products, and then head back to store with all the product and article codes ready to go, which makes it really easy to expand our ranges quickly. We know we’re competing with specialist Asian supermarkets, so having access to these products helps ensure our supermarkets can continue to be a convenient one-stop shop for our communities.” 
Kashish Gupta, of MG International Ltd, said: “When we started supplying food in New Zealand six years ago we never imagined this type of category would become so well established in supermarkets. It’s really amazing to see the way Foodstuffs is looking to the increasing diversity in New Zealand, and we’re super pumped to be part of that future.”
Quin said the co-op’s local owner-operators were enthusiastic about the initiative.
“Our stores are seeing these changes in their communities every day. They want to better reflect the people they serve and ensure customers can increasingly do their full shop with us, including authentic international products.”