When we support a New Zealand-owned business, the effect is immediate. The money stays here, supports local jobs, and keeps experience and decision-making in New Zealand – not with a head office offshore.
It also helps protect choice.
We’ve already seen international brands pull out, and when they do, that choice simply disappears. New Zealand is often just a small line on a global P&L.
At the same time, platforms like Temu are making it easier than ever to shop purely on price. Tempting, yes – but it shifts spending away from local businesses, often without the same level of quality oversight or care for customer wellbeing.
And it’s not just retail – the same applies at farmers’ markets, with local makers and growers, and small producers. Choosing to support them helps keep those communities vibrant and sustainable.
The reality is – if you stop shopping at a big-box retailer, they likely won’t notice. But choosing to support a small, independent business really does make a difference, on so many levels.
Local businesses are different. We’re here – bricks and mortar, part of the community, not hiding behind a website. We stand behind what we sell and think carefully about the products we bring in.
We’re also regularly asked to support local causes – raffles, school events, community initiatives – which we’re always happy to do, because we’re part of the community too.
Thank you, as always, for supporting us and our fellow small businesses.
Warmly,
Nicola
