The petition, Stop the Super Profits, launched by Consumer New Zealand earlier this week, has already received more than 48,000 signatures. Supie, New Zealand’s online supermarket, throws its support behind the call for sector reform.
Supie founder Sarah Balle says it’s time for something to be done. “We have a duopoly who are receiving excess profits – that is, profit that is over and above what are considered to be normal levels. The duopoly are operating in their self-interests, rather than the interests of ordinary, everyday Kiwis”, she says.
Supie’s mission is to create a “better and fairer grocery alternative for all New Zealand” and the online supermarket has grown to 22,000 members since June last year.
Balle says she is not surprised at how many New Zealanders have already signed the petition, saying the demand for fairness from Kiwis is something she’s been hearing from Supie members since launching. “At Supie, we’re purpose-led and everything we do is centered around fairness – fairness for consumers, fairness for suppliers and fairness for the environment. Our goal is when healthy food is affordable and accessible for all Kiwis.”
“We’re incredibly grateful for the support we’ve received since we launched in June last year. We too call on support from consumers and investors to help us grow so that we can deliver the Supie experience and an alternative grocer to more Kiwis and beyond Auckland,” she says.
“We believe a state-owned wholesaler is a massive first step in bringing meaningful competition to the duopolised market. In fact, we’ve had in depth discussions with Consumer NZ as to why and how this could be a solution so we’re excited to see Consumer NZ promoting it”, says Balle.
Balle says Supie’s online-only and the lack of corporate structure or bricks and mortar overheads means it can be super-efficient, with cost savings more easily passed on to consumers.“I would like to meet directly with Minister Clark to provide more detail on the solution, including how Supie is a turn-key investment opportunity for the Government, for reasons outlined in Consumer NZ’s open letter to the Minister”, she says.
More about Supie on The Feed
Mar 4, 2022 – Supie starts a campaign to highlight ‘fairness and honesty’ in the supermarket sector
Nov 11, 2021 – Kiwi supermarket start up Supie secures $2.5 Million in seed funding
