New World Stanmore owner operators rapt about returning home to Canterbury

21 April 2023

New World owner operators Kerry and Sally-Anne Tull are excited to be returning home to Canterbury and their community as the new owners of New World Stanmore.

The couple, who recently took the reins of the store, are in their second New World and looking forward to developing great relationships with their team members, customers and community.

Cultivating good relationships within Foodstuffs South Island has worked out for Kerry, who first joined Foodstuffs in 2010 as a qualified butcher at New World Rangiora. He quickly progressed to butchery manager and before long, fresh foods manager, opening up a raft of unforeseen opportunities and career progression.

“I started out as a butcher, and now, I’m an owner operator of a supermarket – this wasn’t even on the radar for me back then,” Kerry says.

During his time at New World Rangiora, Kerry was taken under the wing of owner operator Robin Brown who mentored and supported him to grow his career.

“Robin opened the door to a lot of opportunities and to what was available, and that’s part of the beauty of being a part of the Foodstuffs South Island co-op,” Kerry says.

“There are so many opportunities and directions you can take your career in, and people who are willing to share their knowledge and help you get to where you want to be.”

Sally-Anne, who has a finance background, shares the same drive and optimism about the opportunities available within the co-op, particularly with the right attitude.

“We love the interactions we have with our team members, customers, and other owner operators. It’s the best part of the job,” Sally-Anne says.

“It’s all about people and growth, and having a really good culture,” she adds.

Kerry and Sally-Anne have spent six and a half years as owner operators, firstly at Four Square Cheviot, then New World Kaikōura.

They became first time owner operators of Four Square Cheviot in 2016. Soon after they came on board, the Kaikōura earthquake struck in November 2016. The extent of the damage from the quake caused the closure of the Kaikōura section of SH1 for about a year, meaning no through traffic into Cheviot from the north.

“It was fairly quiet for about a year, but we had a plan and stuck to it, and it was all go when the road reopened,” Kerry said.

“In 2019, we had a year of what we considered to be normal circumstances, then Covid arrived.”

After four years at Four Square Cheviot, and in the midst of the pandemic and Covid restrictions, Kerry and Sally-Anne were given the chance to realise their long-term dream of owning and operating a New World. They became store owner operators of New World Kaikōura in October 2020.

Looking back, Kerry and Sally-Anne are thankful for having the chance to work in two fantastic communities, taking the challenges they’ve faced in their stride, and working with some really terrific people. Two years later, they’re excited to be continuing their New World journey at New World Stanmore.

New owner operators of New World Stanmore Kerry and Sally-Anne Tull