All staff at the New World supermarket ravaged by fire near Auckland’s Victoria Park will lose their jobs – but workers are “over the moon” the company is trying to find work for them elsewhere.

The store employed 189 staff, which was one of New Zealand’s most profitable supermarkets, before it burned down on June 17.

New World owner Foodstuffs said it would open its new supermarket in Pt Chevalier, over 5km away, almost a month earlier because of Victoria Park being put out of action.

And a number of the new jobs at Pt Chevalier will be reserved for staff from Victoria Park, Foodstuffs has confirmed.

New World Victoria Park was one of New Zealand’s most profitable supermarkets before it burned down on June 17. Photo / Hayden Woodward

First Union secretary Rudd Hughes, who hailed Foodstuffs’ announcement as a win for staff, said 80 roles were being reserved at Pt Chevalier for those who had been displaced.

Foodstuffs said a further 100 roles had been made available at 23 of Foodstuffs’ other stores around Auckland.

Redundancy will be offered to staff, “however, the timeframe for when redundancy would take effect has been extended to provide more time to support each team member finding a new role”, Foodstuffs said.

Store owner Steve Purton met his staff yesterday to confirm their roles were being disestablished.

Construction at the site of the new New World Pt Chevalier on Great North Rd, where jobs have been reserved for those displaced from Victoria Park. Photo / Jason Dorday

“Foodstuffs North Island is optimistic about finding opportunities for everyone who wants to stay in the co-op,” the company said.

“Following a call-out to the co-op’s store network, 23 Foodstuffs stores across Auckland have come forward with over 100 vacancies, ranging from part-time to fulltime roles across a variety of departments.

“These opportunities are in addition to positions expected to become available at the new New World Pt Chevalier, which is preparing to welcome a number of Victoria Park team members as part of its recruitment.”

Hughes, secretary for the union’s retail, finance and commerce division, said his members were “over the moon”.

“We’re very pleased. The company has listened to what we have to say and have come up with a deal that is perfect for our members. It couldn’t be better.”

He said the plans were finalised yesterday.

“The members are very pleased. We’ve had a lot of traffic on our WhatsApp group and they’re just over the moon.

“It’s a terrific outcome. It took a little bit of time to get there, and there was a little bit of clarity needed, but eventually, we got to where the members wanted us to go.”

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers business, breaking news and local stories from Tāmaki Makaurau. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.