A Southland couple are to take over the supermarket.
In a note to suppliers, obtained by the ODT yesterday, New World group manager Ross Martin said from May 27, Rodney and Trish Flannery would take over ownership from Craig Nieper.
The Flannerys have been operating the New World Gore outlet, but when contacted there yesterday, Mr Flannery declined to comment until the sale and purchase was concluded.
Mr Nieper's father, Russell, started New World Centre City in December 1986, going on to become chairman of grocery co-operative Foodstuffs (SI) Ltd, before retiring in 2008.
Amid industry speculation in early April, Foodstuffs NZ head of external relations Antoinette Laird was contacted and confirmed the supermarket was ''going through a change of ownership process'', but declined further comment.
She was contacted yesterday and formally confirmed the Flannerys were the new owners and that they were looking forward ''to serving the community''.
The Flannerys were understood to have come from Tapanui and moved to Christchurch to run the South City New World.
In 2011 they bought and operated the franchise for the Beach Road New World supermarket in Kaikoura, before heading to Gore.
