Do we like them?

Do we like Woolworths NZ (formerly Countdown)?

One of New Zealand's two big supermarket chains, formerly Countdown, rebranded to Woolworths. Based in Auckland.

Our score: 4 out of 10. We'd hold back. It faces criminal pricing charges and a market that regulators say is too cosy. It has made some moves to open up the market.

Countdown is one of New Zealand's two big supermarket chains, owned by Australia's Woolworths Group. It was rebranded as Woolworths NZ, finishing in December 2025, according to a search summary of Wikipedia. We haven't used Wikipedia as a source for anything else here.

The big drama is pricing. After Consumer NZ complained in 2023 and passed on more than 600 examples from the public, the Commerce Commission filed criminal charges in the Auckland District Court in May 2025. They cover alleged inaccurate pricing and misleading specials under the Fair Trading Act, between January 2022 and September 2024.

Woolworths said it had been co-operating with the commission and was rolling out new technology to cut pricing mistakes. Charges are allegations until a court decides. We found no result on the outcome, so it may still be unresolved.

The wider problem is that two chains dominate the market. The Commerce Commission's market study found competition is muted and that NZ grocery prices look high by international standards. Woolworths said it welcomed the final report. We'd want the court case settled before we'd back them.