Gone cold: Why foreign chains ignored NZ’s call for new supermarket player

PremiumTom RaynelMultimedia Business Reporter·NZ Herald·16 Jul, 2026 11:00 PM6 mins to read‌Officials from New Zealand Trade & Enterprise sent letters to overseas supermarket chains, signed by Finance Minister Nicola Willis (inset), as part of their efforts, but to little avail.Roughly half of the efforts conducted by trade officials as part of the Government’s search for a new player in the supermarket industry either broke down or were declined, information released under the Official Information Act has revealed.

In March last year, the Government announced an official request for information