An increasing number of Asian supermarkets could put pressure on the duopoly and give consumers better bang for their buck, but experts say independent supermarkets won't yet cater for the whole shop of many consumers.
By Krystal Gibbens
Stacks supermarket opened just a couple of weeks ago in Auckland's Sylvia Park, New Zealand's largest mall.
Already the new supermarket has seen customers flooding in.
It is part of a growing number of specialty supermarkets offering shoppers something different.
“Food is culture and I find that we're not just serving an Asian community anymore in the Asian supermarket, we're serving the whole of New Zealand community," Stacks general manager Ben Cheong said.
About 70% of Stacks products come from Southeast Asia, with the remaining 30% coming from local suppliers.
Cheong said when it came to price they tried to be "fair and competitive".
Stacks was located right near the mall's longstanding Pak'n'Save.
Kiwi Property’s national retail assets manager Helen Ronald said Asian supermarkets were quite normal in Australian shopping centres, and they'd decided it was time to bring that here.
She described Stacks as "complementary" to Pak'n'Save.
Stacks isn't alone – a Golden Apple is currently under construction in Blockhouse Bay.
Golden Apple general manager Linda Liu said Blockhouse Bay and its surrounding area previously lacked an Asian supermarket.
When Woolworths withdrew, it saw an opportunity.
"Blockhouse Bay is a multi-ethnic area, with Asians making up about 50% of the population. The arrival of an Asian supermarket will not only satisfy Asian customers but also provide convenience for Kiwis who are willing to try Asian food."
She said more competition and more choices were good news for consumers.
Cheaper products, diversity of choice
According to the Commerce Commission's 2025 Annual Grocery Report the two major grocery retailers still control around 82% of the national market.
But in Auckland that fell to around 71% making it the most competitive grocery market in the country.
Consumer NZ's head of research and advocacy Gemma Rasmussen said in some instances that could mean cheaper products.
"Asian supermarkets are great for offering diversity of choice, cheaper fruit, fresh fruit and vegetables but can you do a full shop there for many households?
"You would say no."
But even if they couldn't replace the weekly shop, the grocery commissioner said their presence was able to make a difference.
"The larger supermarkets see that they're losing customers and as a result they will look at what they can do, reduce price, better range, better value for consumers."
He said Asian supermarkets weren't the only ones contributing to competition, with US-owed Costco and other independents such as South African stores also having a bite of apple.
Retail New Zealand chief executive Carolyn Young said more stores of the same genre did make a difference in terms of competition.
She said they also had the option to expand their product ranges, allowing customers to pick up a few extras while there rather than visit the supermarket.
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