Independent grocer plans to open more than 20 stores in five years

Independent grocery retailer Paddock to Pantry is planning a $25 million expansion which would see it open more than 20 stores over the next five years.The family-owned business, which has built much of its business around online grocery deliveries, said it planned to open roughly one new store every three months.Its first new outlet is due to open in Kinloch, near Taupō, in December, with sites on the East Coast and in South Auckland expected to follow early next year.A licensing application lodged with Taupō District Council confirms Paddock to Pantry is seeking to operate a grocery store at 140 Kenrigg Road in Kinloch.It said around 90 percent of its sales currently came from e-commerce, but expected that to fall to about a third within five years as it expanded its store network.The company currently operates two physical stores, alongside its nationwide online supermarket business.The spending programme includes about $10 million for new stores, a proposed 5000-square-metre distribution centre and an expansion of its delivery fleet.The new openings would be a mixture of smaller stores of around 500 square metres, to larger footprints as big as 1800 square metres.Business manager John Kennerley said the company was targeting communities with limited supermarket choice and ultimately wanted to become the country's third-largest grocery retailer.Kennerley describes himself as a co-founder of Paddock to Pantry and business manager of it and The Meat Box.The company said the expansion could create up to 1000 jobs across its retail network as well as warehousing, transport and distribution.