A timeline of key events from our past

1929 - First Woolworths store opens
The first Woolworths store opened its doors in 1929. Located on Cuba Street in Wellington, the store was owned by Woolworths Australia.

1958 - First Foodtown store opens
The first Foodtown supermarket opened in the Auckland suburb of Otahuhu in 1958.

1981 - First Countdown store opens
In 1981, the first Countdown supermarket opened in Northlands, Christchurch. This business was established by Rattrays Wholesale which was part of The Rattrays Wholesale Group, and also included the SuperValue group of franchised supermarkets, now operating as SuperValue/Fresh Choice.

1993 - Countdown & Foodtown come together
In 1993, the Countdown/Rattrays and Foodtown businesses were all brought together under Woolworths New Zealand. Both Countdown/Rattrays and the Foodtown groups continued to run as separate business units, with Countdown/ Rattrays continuing to function from a South Island base.

1996 - Woolworths introduces online shopping
An online shopping service was introduced via a pilot site, with a small group of users. Woolworths was a key player in working with the banking industry to ensure they met market demands for doing business over the Internet.

2002 - Woolworths NZ buys Woolworths (NZ)
Woolworths New Zealand Limited bought Woolworths (NZ) from Dairy Farm Group, which owned the brand at the time. The sale saw the supermarket brands Foodtown, Countdown, SuperValue and FreshChoice joined by Woolworths, Big Fresh and Price Chopper. As a result, Woolworths New Zealand increased its share of the NZ grocery market.

2003 - Onecard introduced
The Foodtown Woolworths Onecard was launched in May 2003. This innovative programme centred on an all in one savings card, called the Onecard. This was similar to the successful Foodtown card introduced in 1994, but with additional rewards benefits.

2005-2009 - Woolworths purchases Woolworths NZ
Australian company Woolworths Ltd purchased Woolworths New Zealand from Foodland Associated (FAL) of Perth.

2006 - Fuel discount programme introduced
In October 2006, Progressive launched the grocery fuel discount programme throughout its three brands, Countdown, Woolworths and Foodtown. The initiative was unprecedented in New Zealand, with 153 participating supermarkets and more than 250 service stations.

2007 - Countdown establishes Kids Hospital Appeal
The annual Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal first began in 2007, and has raised $9.3 million since then.

2008 - First "new generation" Countdown opens
In July 2008, the landmark Greenlane Foodtown was converted to the first 'New Generation' Countdown. This store continued the Countdown tradition of low prices in a modern store environment, with a wider range of products and a greater area devoted to fresh foods.

2009 - Countdown introduces mySpecials
In July 2008, Progressive converted the landmark Greenlane Foodtown to the first 'New Generation' Countdown. This store continued the Countdown tradition of low prices in a modern store environment, with a wider range of products and a greater area devoted to fresh foods.

2011 - Food Rescue programme launched
In 2011, Countdown's Food Rescue programme was launched in partnership with The Salvation Army to supply food to families in need.

2011 - End of an era
In November 2011, the last Foodtown and Woolworths stores were updated to new generation Countdown supermarkets.

2012 - Countdown introduces smartphone app
In 2012, Countdown launched its smartphone app, giving users the ability to shop for groceries on the go.

2012 - First Countdown Pharmacy opens
In December, Countdown launched the first Countdown Pharmacy in-store at Countdown Newtown. Countdown Pharmacy gives customers all the services they expect from a professional pharmacy, at competitive prices.

2013 - Countdown introduces price lockdown
Countdown stepped up its commitment to bringing grocery prices down in 2013, with the introduction of price lockdown saving New Zealanders $70 million in its first year.

2014 - Award winning myCountdown
Countdown supercharged mySpecials in 2014, to become the award winning myCountdown programme of personalised communications. The hyper-personalised weekly email and web experience highlighted products, specials, recipes and promotions.

2015 - “Free fruit for kids” launches
In 2015, Countdown launched “Free Fruit for Kids”, giving kids a free and nutritious snack to munch on while their parents or caregivers shop. It was the first campaign of its kind in New Zealand. Countdown gave away an estimated 50,000 pieces of free fruit to kids every week.

2015 - New Zealand’s first online foodbank
In partnership with The Salvation Army, Countdown launched New Zealand's first ever online food bank, The Foodbank Project, in 2015. The project started as a trial in Auckland, and by December it was a success and rolled out nationally.

2016 - 20 years of online shopping
In 2016, Countdown celebrated 20 years of delivering groceries to Kiwi, and also rolled out the Click & Collect service across all stores nationwide.

2016 - Onecard partners with AA Smartfuel
Also in 2016, Onecard relaunched, including a partnership with AA Smartfuel, allowing customers to choose to be rewarded with food or fuel points.

2017 - Countdown commits to cage-free eggs
Countdown was the first national retailer to announce it will go cage-free in its on-shelf eggs for customers. Our goal is to have 100% cage-free eggs by the end of 2024 in the North Island and the end of 2025 in the South Island.

2017 - Phase out of plastic carrier bags
Countdown was the first supermarket in New Zealand to announce all its stores nationwide would phase out single-use plastic carrier bags at checkouts and online shopping by the end of 2018.

2018 - Progressive Enterprises Ltd changes name
In June 2018, Progressive Enterprises Limited, the parent company owning Countdown supermarkets and other brands, changed its name to Woolworths New Zealand.

2018 - Single-use plastic carrier bag free
In October, Countdown was the first supermarket to phase out single-use plastic carrier bag free at checkouts and through online shopping, removing on average 350 million plastic bags per year.

2018 - Rainbow Tick Certified
Countdown proudly gained the Rainbow Tick in 2018 in recognition of its commitment to LGBTI inclusion.

2018 - Quiet Hour
Also in 2018, with the support of Autism New Zealand, Countdown announced a nationwide rollout of low-sensory Quiet Hour in its stores.

2019 - Age restrictions on energy drinks
To help improve health outcomes for Kiwi kids, Countdown introduced age restrictions on energy drinks in 2019.

2020 - First eStore
In 2020, Countdown opened its very first eStore in Penrose, Auckland.

2020 - Priority delivery service
Also in 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Countdown introduced a priority delivery service for vulnerable customers.

2020 - Food for Good Foundation
Countdown proudly launched the Food for Good Foundation in 2020, to provide meaningful support to local communities.

2021 - Green Star rated store
Continuing its ongoing and unwavering commitment to sustainability, Countdown opened its first Green Star rated store in Richmond, Nelson, in 2021.

2022 - Green Star rated distribution centre
In another push towards a sustainable future for Kiwi customers, Countdown opened a Green Star rated Fresh Distribution Centre in Wiri, Auckland.

2023 - Rebranding to Woolworths NZ
In 2023, Countdown announced plans to rebrand to Woolworths Supermarkets New Zealand, to give customers more value, better ways to shop, greater investment in local communities and deeper sustainability leadership.