Countdown begins

The first pre-cast concrete wall panels have been erected in the $10 million construction of supermarket chain Progressive Enterprises' Countdown premises in Andersons Bay Rd, Dunedin.

Site preparation and foundation work has been under way for several months on the 1.1ha site for the 3800sq m building, which is expected to open in March next year, initially employing a mix of up to 150 part time and full-time staff.

It has been estimated the land parcel of three sections, purchased from a Dunedin property syndicate in early-2009 by Progressive, cost between $3 million and $4 million.

The site was a vacant former car yard.

The site was occupied by the Dunedin gasworks from 1863 until its closure in 1987; with one neighbour being a small, community-run Dunedin Gasworks Museum.