Four Square
TypeSubsidiary
Founded1924 (1924)
Headquarters
Auckland
,
New Zealand
Number of locations
224
ParentFoodstuffs
Websitefoursquare.co.nz

Four Square is a chain of supermarkets in New Zealand that was founded by John Heaton Barker.[1] It has 230 stores throughout New Zealand, mostly in small towns.[2] Some Four Square supermarkets previously operated in Australia under the name Friendly Grocer.

History

The first Four Square, the first supermarket in New Zealand, opened in the 1920s.[3]

Four Square emerged as a household name in the 1920s out of the Foodstuffs grocery buying co-operative, whose founder, John Heaton Barker, became concerned at the manner in which the activities of the grocery chain stores of the day were making life difficult for independent grocers in Auckland. On 6 July 1922, Heaton Barker called together members of the Auckland Master Grocers Association and discussed their plans for forming a cooperative buying group of independent grocers. On 1 April 1925, this buying group registered a company called Foodstuffs Ltd, which was the first of three regional cooperatives based in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.[4]

The name Four Square emerged when Heaton Barker, while talking on the telephone to one of the buying group members on 4 July 1924, drew a square around the 4 of the date on his calendar. He considered this to be a suitable name for the buying group, stating that "they would stand ’Four Square’ to all the winds that blew".[5]

By the end of 1924 products were appearing under the Four Square name, and by 1929 discussions were underway on the use of a common branding on stores. Early versions of the Four Square sign were produced in the form of red and gold hand painted glass panels for display in members’ stores. The "Mr 4 Square" symbol, also known as "Cheeky Charlie",[6] was developed in the 1950s. The image is associated with the art of New Zealand artist Dick Frizzell, who has used the iconic character in many of his works.

In February 1948 first self-service Four Square was opened, in Onehunga, Auckland.[3]

Stores

There are 165 Four Square stores on the North Island, including 23 in Northland, 21 in Auckland, six on the Coromandel Peninsula, 18 in the rest of the Waikato Region, 20 in Bay of Plenty, 5 in the Gisborne District, 15 in the Hawke's Bay Region, 15 in Taranaki, 20 in Manawatū-Whanganui and 19 in the Wellington Region.[2] There are 60 Four Square stores on the South Island and Stewart Island, including six in Nelson and Tasman, three in Marlborough, four on the West Coast, 16 in Canterbury, 18 in Otago and 12 in Southland.[2]

Marketing

Four Square Man

The Four Square Man, also known as Cheeky Charlie, is the mascot of the Four Square.[4][7] It was created in the 1950s by the advertising department of Foodstuffs. Initially only appearing in newspapers and posters, it later made appearance in every Four Square store.[4][8]

Since the 1980s, the Four Square Man has been designed by Dick Frizzell.[4] He did photo essays about various objects and shops, such as his local butcher, baker, panel beater, and the Four Square in Kingsland. Frizzell made billboards with him as the Four Square Man, which lead Foodstuffs to contact him with intellectual property concerns. Foodstuffs later commissioned Frizzel to paint the character, and he would receive a copyright commission despite the fact that Frizzell did not invent the character.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Milton-Tee, Ann. "Harry Heaton Barker". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 "Four Square". foursquare.co.nz. Foodstuffs.
  3. 1 2 Clayton, Rachel (5 September 2017). "How supermarkets have changed from the days of one brand of coffee". Stuff. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "History | Four Square". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "Mr Four Square: a kiwiana nostalgia trip". Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  6. ↑ "Cheeky Charlie". Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  7. 1 2 McDonald, Dani (23 November 2017). "How We Made: Dick Frizzell's Four Square Man". Stuff. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "The Four Square man". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
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