Connings food market expansion ‘huge win for city’
Connings are expanding their pop-up food market in central Nelson into a permanent, full-scale store.
Concept plans for the new store include the addition of a café and significantly expanded market produce areas. The permanent store will extend across the Achilles Ave site to the intersection with Rutherford St, occupying the area of the former Four Seasons building.
Photo: Supplied
The Nelson City Council agreed in principle in March 2024 to Connings leasing the Achilles Avenue site for the pop-up, with the option to buy 69-101 Achilles Avenue for the construction of a permanent Connings Food Market.
The final details of the agreement were signed last week. The current store will continue trading in the meantime.
The council announced the Connings deal on Friday. It came soon after the nearby Red Arty Gallery & Cafe announced it would be forced to close because of a lease dispute with its landlord and continuing disruption from the Bridge to Better infrastructure project.
Nelson City Council chief executive Nigel Philpott said in a statement that the Connings project reflected the council’s ongoing work to reduce barriers to investment in the central city.
“Council is open for business. We want to work together with our business community to make Nelson vibrant and an easy place to do business,” he said.
“The pop-up on Achilles Avenue has obviously been incredibly popular with Nelsonians, and we’re really pleased to see Connings decide to expand into a permanent store as a result.”
Philpott said he was confident the new store would be just as popular with the local community as Connings Appleby Food Market had been.
Nelson Mayor Nick Smith said Connings’ commitment to the project was a huge win for Nelson that would help the council’s goal of revitalising the central city.
“They have proved in Appleby and through the trial pop up store that the public wants local fresh produce.
“I love that this new Connings Food Market will enable us to showcase the region as a centre of excellence for fresh produce and food innovation.
Smith said a further benefit was it would provide more choice and competition for consumers for their groceries when there was concern about the duopoly of the two supermarket chains.
Owner operator Simon Conning said they’ve been blown away by the support for the Nelson pop-up store.
“We’re really happy to make a long-term commitment to our customers and to Nelson City,“ he said.
“Our farm is only 18km away from the store, which means we can continue to deliver fresh produce directly to our customers at great value.
“Being able to do that is important to us as a family.”
The Conning family has been growing fresh produce on the Waimea Plains for more than 40 years, four kilometres from their first Connings Food Market store in Appleby.
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