Applicant
General Distributors Limited
Case number(s)
201900407
Decision date
Type
Decision
DecisionConsent granted
Section 12(a) Overseas Investment Act 2005
Decision MakerOverseas Investment Office
Decision Date20 December 2019
Pathway(s)Residential land – non-residential use
InvestmentAn overseas investment in sensitive land, being the Applicant's acquisition of a freehold interest in up to 1.2 hectares of land at 575 Birchs Road, Lincoln.
ConsiderationApproximately $4,131,375 (plus GST if any) (subject to survey)
ApplicantGeneral Distributors Limited
Australian Public (99.4%)
Various (0.6%)
VendorLincoln Developments Limited
New Zealand (100%)
Background

The Applicant is the property owning and leasing vehicle for Woolworths New Zealand Limited, one of the largest supermarket operators in New Zealand. 

The consent permits the Applicant to acquire a freehold interest in the land and includes the flexibility to grant itself a leasehold interest in the land.

This consent has been granted in accordance with the non-residential use test set out in Schedule 2(13) of the Act. 

The Applicant will develop the land into a new Countdown supermarket, approximately 160 carparks and a café in the ordinary course of its business. 

The Applicant intends to complete the development by July 2025 and will not use or hold the land for any residential purposes.

More informationAnna Crosbie
Russell McVeagh 
PO Box 8
Auckland 1140