Welcome! Recently, St. Pierre’s opened a new shop in a fascinating location. Read on to find out more!
We’re now open in Karaka, a fast-growing area in South Auckland. Karaka is famous for its horse studs, but now it’s home to a growing residential and business community. Our location is on the main road between Papakura – an established suburb – the Southern Motorway and Pukekohe, so also benefits from lots of through traffic. Happily, the shop has been busy from day one!
New shop trial partner Crystal Liang reflected positively on the opening, saying that
“I’m so happy to be the first Karaka trial partner. I’ve been with St. Pierre’s for more than ten years, working all over South Auckland, including Te Irirangi, Pakuranga, Manukau, Botany, and now Karaka. The shop has been a big success so far. Customers have been very excited to see us and happy we’re open in their community. It sounds like they’ve been waiting for a long time – we have a lot of fans here! Popular products so far have been out classic teriyaki chicken, especially chicken on rice, even more so than other shops. We have whole families including students and adults coming in, so we sell a lot of double decker items.
I really appreciate the opportunity to be a trial partner. It has been an adjustment – I have to think more about the whole shop and how to solve problems. I have to think more broadly, not just on the narrow task at hand. Luckily lots of experienced staff have come from other shops to Karaka. They have really helped in training our new staff, who are all fast learners, so as a team we’re definitely improving a little every day. I’m also grateful for the support of our area manager Yovina and all the head office staff. It has been a real team effort to have the shop running smoothly so far.”
Director Nick Katsoulis was very happy at the successful opening, commenting that
“The store has been so busy, the opening has exceeded our expectations. It was a wonderful customer response on opening day and so far, sales have maintained a very strong level. It’s very encouraging.
South Auckland has long been a popular market for St. Pierre’s, and we really appreciate the support of the local community. We’re pleased to be offering quick, fresh, healthier choices to the Karaka, Papakura and Pukekohe area. We have a great location, right on the main road so it’s convenient for motorway and Pukekohe through traffic as well. And of course, Karaka is fast-growing suburb in its own right, there’s a real housing boom happening. We’re very happy to be here.”
Design Manager Alina Nicholls spoke highly of the new shop, commenting that
“I’m very pleased with the new shop. The interior design creates a cosy space with modern high-grade finishes, creating an inviting, family-friendly space. It creates a balanced impression which appeals to a broad customer base. At the same time, it takes the interior feel in a different direction compared to recent sushi-only shops Papamoa and Onekawa. Karaka is more mature yet still playful to attract families, who are strong supporters of St. Pierre’s. And of course, Karaka features the I ♡ SUSHI neon sign – a trademark of our modern design concept.
Finally, I want to give credit to Datum Projects, who did the fitout. Everything went smoothly, and I’m very happy with the result.”
Finally, General Manager of Property Oliver Shaw was pleased at the opening, noting that
“We have high hopes for the Karaka shop. This new development is growing into a real food hub, and we’re pleased to be joining other major chains and independent outlets. It’s a high visibility location with great accessibility on a key regional arterial route servicing Pukekohe, Karaka itself and Papakura, all of which are significant residential and industrial centres.
Finally, there will be lots of foot traffic from the five schools nearby and developing residential catchment. We believe it will be a good location from the start and grow significantly over time.”
We believe that the Karaka shop is already a landmark in this growing area. The new shop is another big milestone for the company, so if you’re visiting Karaka or just passing through, do stop by and see Crystal and her team – see you there soon!