A start date has been announced to rebuild a central Auckland supermarket – one year after it was gutted in a fire.
New World Victoria Park was extensively damaged following the blaze on June 17, 2025, sending smoke billowing from as far away as the North Shore.
Owner Foodstuffs today announced the store's concept design had been completed and the project team was "progressing structural engineering and detailed interior design work ahead of the next stage of construction".
"Following the fire that significantly damaged the supermarket in 2025, extensive work has been undertaken behind the scenes to make the site safe, complete demolition works, progress detailed planning and advance the design of the new store," the company said.
Final demolition works would be carried out from next week, clearing the way for main structural works to begin from August 2026.
New World Victoria Park owner Steve Purton said it was "hard to believe it's been a year since the fire".
"Like many people in the community, I still remember the fire alarm sounding and realising the store we'd built over many years was in trouble," he said.
"The past 12 months have been tough for our team, our customers and everyone connected to the store. But it's also been a year that has shown just how much New World Victoria Park means to people. The support we've received from customers, neighbouring businesses, the wider co-operative and the local community has been overwhelming."
Purton said while there was "still a lot of work ahead", the concept design milestone was a "significant step forward".
"It's exciting to now be able to see the future shape of the store and start bringing that vision to life," he said. "We know people are eager to see us back, and we're looking forward to the day we can welcome customers through the doors again."
Foodstuffs said the new supermarket would "largely retain the existing footprint" to helpstreamline its construction and "support an earlier reopening".
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