Mayor’s column: Connings pop-up store opens
Nick Smith, mayor of Nelson. Photo: File.
Today, successful market gardening business Connings opens its pop-up store on Achilles Avenue, bringing its fresh produce into the heart of Nelson.
The store stocks fruit and vegetables harvested from Connings market gardens on the Waimea Plains along with a selected range of grocery items such as bread and chiller products including Oaklands Milk.
This pop-up store is a great way for the 45-year-old Conning family business to test the market in Nelson. The family plan to invest in the development of a full store, along the lines of the popular Connings Food Market at Appleby, subject to the success of this startup.
We know the Connings products and services at Appleby are popular with Nelsonians – 30% of their current business comes from people like me who live in the city. I’m pleased I no longer have to drive to Appleby to get their fresh fruit and veges; this pop-up store is just a short walk from Civic House. There is good parking with 145 spaces in Wakatu Square next door and it’s also handy for people who use the eBus service as the Nelson interchange is adjacent.
This exciting development was enabled by an agreement in May between Connings and Nelson City Council for the business to lease the Council-owned site for the pop-up store, with the option of buying it and the former 4 Seasons site next door for the construction of a new Connings Food Market. We took the initiative after the previous Council’s proposal with Kāinga Ora for state housing on the site fell over. There is no ratepayer subsidy, with Connings paying fair market rent for the lease and for the land if it’s purchased.
This venture is about revitalising our central city at a tough time. It complements the Bridge to Better project, which involves upgrading the infrastructure and the streetscape in this part of the city.
The new store is open seven days a week, from 8am-5.30pm weekdays, from 8am-4.30pm on Saturday and from 8.30am-4.30pm on Sunday. I welcome Connings to the city and encourage Nelsonians to check it out.