Raj has keen eye at New World

Raj has keen eye at New World

Raj Singh has an eye for the supermarket business – quite literally.

The new owner at New World Ōtaki was looking at every shelf – even picking up a lettuce leaf from the floor – as he escorted Ōtaki Today to his office. It was a sure sign he wanted to make a good impression, not only with his new customers, but also his staff.

“I want to do the right things, right from the start,” he says. “I believe if you do good things, it will come back to you.”

Raj is a career supermarketer in the best of grocery traditions. He’s worked his way up, starting as a “trolley boy” in New Zealand after leaving behind his studies at a university in India in 2009. He took advantage of all the courses offered by his employer, Foodstuffs, and clearly made an impression.

He became manager of various departments at Pak N Save, and was eventually appointed store manager at Glen Innis. It was a huge responsibility – a big store and more than 250 staff to manage.

Then came an even bigger challenge, but on a smaller scale – a 4-Square store with just 20 staff. The store at Torbay was in trouble, sinking into receivership. Raj took it on in 2019, and turned the store’s fortunes around to where it became one of New Zealand’s top tier 4-Square stores.

And now he has come to Ōtaki, with his wife and two young children. Raj knows that the challenges in Ōtaki are perhaps less dramatic than his two previous supermarkets, but they are still there and require a steady hand.

He takes over from Matt Mullins, who in his time running the supermarket had built a reputation as a man committed to helping the community where he could. That’s not likely to change with Raj, and is a challenge in itself as he gets to know the local people and what’s important to them.

“I want to know what’s happening here, how we can fulfill the community’s needs, what we can do to support schools and community groups,” he says. “Also, what can we do for society by reducing our carbon footprint?”

His staff are integral to the success of New World Ōtaki.

“I like my staff to be accessible to our customers. If they see someone looking for something, they should help them find it. It’s important they chat to customers and get feedback – complaints are valuable because they help us to improve our service.”

A refurbishment of the store is planned, which Raj says will take about six months but will be worth the mild inconvenience. An access for large trucks will also be made on a property next to the store to create a safer customer park, and the Click and Collect will be expanded.

“Ōtaki deserves the best shopping experience. I’m here to help create a store Ōtaki can be proud of and that meets their needs.”