‘Sweet-as’ start for PAK’nSAVE Rolleston

PAK’nSAVE Rolleston has made a sweet start to life in Selwyn, with more than 41,000 shopping trips through the doors and a staggering 819,000 items heading home with customers in its first full week of trading.

From iced donuts and chocolate bars to avocados and bananas, Rolleston locals have shown they know how to fill a trolley. On average, shoppers bought 7,800 items every hour the store was open during its opening week in October.

The top picks tell quite a story:

• The checkout chart toppers were Meadow Fresh 2L Milk (a whopping 17,306 bottles) and Cadbury chocolate bars (15,761). 

• Buttermilk baps six-pack rose to the top in the bakery, with 1,404 packs sold, edging out 1,194 iced donuts – which also flew off the shelves. 

• Avocados were the most popular produce item, with 9,737 sold – more than 90 for each of the store’s 105 opening hours. 

• Broccoli wasn’t far behind at 8,698 units, proving that Selwyn shoppers are also all about their greens. 

“It’s been a whirlwind first three weeks,” says store owner-operator Sarah Blackburn. 

“We’re incredibly proud to be part of the Rolleston community and we’re loving getting to know the locals. 

“There’s definitely a sweet tooth streak running through Rolleston, but it’s great to see so many families stocking up on the basics too. It really shows how our store is already part of people’s everyday routines.” 

Opening day was the store’s busiest yet, with its first Sunday coming in second as locals came out to explore the South Island’s biggest supermarket. The three Sundays since opening have been their busiest of the week by 60%, reflecting a community full of families.  

Rolleston’s shoppers have been quick to embrace technology, too. About 60% of week one transactions were through the store’s 29 self-checkout lanes, and SHOP’nGO customers made up nearly 11% of all transactions. To top it off, the team has now added its online shopping service as another step to make shopping easier for busy Selwyn households.  

Updated: Three-week fast facts: 

• 34,000 transactions on average a week since opening  

• Busiest transaction hour is 4pm to 5pm averaging 3,500  

• 25,367 Cadbury chocolate bars and 23,539 Meadow Fresh 2L milk – highest selling items 

• 2,505 iced donuts sold - highest selling bakery item 

• 15,394kg of bananas and 13,838 cucumbers - highest selling produce items – passing avocados and broccoli.