FOODSTUFFS NORTH ISLAND
Foodstuffs North Island ’ s Acting CIO Ashley Colyer explains how the cooperative is overcoming the challenges of change management to harvest the benefits of a customer centric approach to data
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F oodstuffs North Island became one of New Zealand ’ s most successful brick and mortar grocery businesses thanks to a string of market leading brands such as Four Square , PAK ’ nSAVE and New World . Established in 1922 along with sister co-operative Foodstuffs South Island , the cooperative ’ s owner / operator model has seen it become the country ’ s biggest grocery distributor while remaining 100 % Kiwi owned . The North Island co-operative strives to be : In tune with what customers , colleagues and communities need ; In form to give customers what they want efficiently , sustainably and profitably ; and In front – innovating to make sure New Zealanders get more of what matters most to them .
Acting CIO Ashley Colyer recalls the fundamental strategic decision the co-operative made about the future role technology would play across the organisation : “ Seven or eight years ago , IT was considered by many simply as a necessary cost of doing business , something we worked hard to control . However , our Board recognised IT was going to be the key enabler of our future success , leading to a seismic shift of our investment in technology .”
JUNE 2019