Pak'nSave

Mm.

ACT is saying, "Let's pull all of our rules off our supermarket industry and let the big giant companies from overseas come in, like Kohl's and Costco and stuff." And then New Zealand First is saying, "Let's break up Pak'nSave and New World and make them all scrap it out with each other." But the problem with, um, New Zealand First policy is that if you break up Pak'nSave and New World and make them smaller competitors, Woolworths is probably gonna be licking their lips 'cause they're gonna be the only jumbo company left.

Mm-hmm.

So there's pros and cons of all of them, but I thought that the, um, Green Party policy was really ambitious and exciting, yeah.

So they're actually less profitable in New Zealand.

What's happening here is there is a hyper-efficient behemoth called Pak'nSave [laughs] uh, that is, uh, you know, that has suc- uh, been very, very successful obviously.

And part of the dividend of that efficiency goes to consumers in lower prices, and obviously part of the dividend goes to the owners, uh, in terms of, uh, super normal profits.

And it's that question about where the share is...

Interesting, isn't it? Because on one level you could say in these straightened times that people are, might be less inclined to go for fancy things.

So you know, for example, Pak'nSave, it's worth noting, uh, issues these things.

Uh, um, they're part of our supermarket duopoly empire too, but you know, their, their, their pitch is they don't give away little stick men, you know? They're just, "We will be as cheap as possible." But I g- I guess the we don't want to be profligate, but maybe we can say, "Well, I've gotta buy groceries anyway," right?

Mm.

Bunnings has rolled it out across its network.

Foodstuffs, which operates New, uh, New World, PAK'nSAVE, and Four Square, uh, has also implemented it at some locations.

And Briscoes Group, which is behind, uh, obviously Briscoes and Rebel Sport, they've been running a year-long trial of the technology at, uh, their stores as well.

The New Zealand Privacy Commissioner, uh, is saying that organizations must actually justify its necessity, ensure the problem is serious, and check whether less intrusive alternatives, uh, would work.