The backhanded criticism of the underwhelmed customer confirmed they are winning a price war that had felt for too long like it was in a ceasefire. Not now. In Christchurch’s north, at least, the resistance is rising. The consumers can feel it.
“They’re just really thankful. Like people coming up to you in the shop and shaking your hand and they’re just like, ‘well done’, you know?” says Vickery.
Kai Co has only one store, but Vickery says their support extends across Canterbury.
“[Customers will say] ‘we’ve come from Oxford to support you’ or even Ashburton or some people when they were down here for the Ed Sheeran concert were like, ‘oh, I’ve heard about you and it’s it’s amazing, we’re from Blenheim’. Like it’s just unreal, the support.”
Prior to opening, Vickery had found that suppliers were unsure about dealing with the fledgling brand.
“Because this concept hasn’t been done before, the supplier systems weren’t really set up for it.”
Kai Co was not a major supermarket brand like a New World or Woolworths, and it wasn’t a dairy or reduced-to-clear store.
“It was kind of really hard to explain to them what you were, but now with all the hype and all the media coverage and videos of the store, they say, ‘well, this is actually a really nice store. We would like to have our brand in here’. They also want to be part of the journey, I think, as well.”
Vickery believes suppliers have been just as hungry for competition as consumers have.
“They don’t like being pushed around by the big two supermarkets. They think that it’s a great opportunity for them as well to sort of diversify their customer base.
“I think we’ve increased our grocery lines by 30% in the three weeks we’ve been open.”
It has taken a huge effort to get this far. Vickery has thrown himself into the new business, working tirelessly.
“I’d say it’s been about three 100-hour weeks back-to-back. Well, probably four actually, because of the build-up to it as well.
“It was a lot of long, hard days sort of getting it ready. And then because we completely underestimated just how much Christchurch would turn out for us it’s been even more full on since then,” says Vickery from the office at 6am.
As we walk through the grocery aisles, his uncle and grocery manager, Steve, comments on Vickery’s choice of refreshment.
“An energy drink? I thought you had a day off?”
He’s right. The day prior was Vickery’s first day off in over a month of long days. Only because the day carried special meaning.
“It’s me and my partner’s one-year anniversary, so it was a good goal to sort of get to the point of taking that one off.”
The pair went for a relaxing massage and Vickery says the masseuse had their work cut out.
“She said [I had a] very tight back, basically. And calves. I think I squealed when she got to my calves.”
It is a family affair at Kai Co. Vickery’s business partner is his father, Shane.
“Me and my dad work really well together. My flaws are his strengths. I like to think about stuff a bit. Dad is really good at fixing stuff and he’s quite good with the legal stuff.
“And my stepmum, who kind of hides in the background, she’s also been a massive part of this as well. She does all the accounts and all that sort of thing.”
He believes the business partnership has had an effect on their personal relationship.
“I think we’ve definitely gotten stronger, like our bond, you know? I appreciate everything that he’s done for me, and he appreciates all the hours that I’m putting in,” says Vickery junior.
Those hours won’t decrease until Vickery can increase staff numbers. They’ve already had to hire more people.
“We started with about 30 – definitely not enough at the start. I think we’re up around 36 now and more coming on board every day.
“That’s one of the cool things about this as well – just how thankful people are to be given a chance in employment. We’ve got some people that are later on in their life and they’re very skilled and some of the hardest workers we’ve got, but they were trying to get a job for months and months and months. People just weren’t giving them a chance.”
The search for staff will continue if Vickery’s plans to expand take hold.
“Ashburton would be really good, or somewhere like Hornby. Suburbs on the east side of Christchurch that have been under-loved and for a while, I think could be good options as well.”
Vickery is also aware that it doesn’t have to be Kai Co that continues the opposition to the major supermarket brands.
“I think why the supermarkets are sort of worried and why everyone’s excited is because if two butchers from Christchurch can put their heads together and come up with this, and pull like big dollars out of the local supermarkets – then what’s stopping other people from doing it all around New Zealand? I think it’s just showing people that it can be done.”
Mike Thorpe is a senior journalist for the Herald, based in Christchurch. He has been a broadcast journalist across television and radio for 20 years and joined the Herald in August 2024.
