Shannon Four Square changes hands

The new owner of Shannon Four Square started off by polishing the floors.

Aryn McKissock was just 13 when he first put on an apron at a Four Square store. He worked hard, often 30 hours a week, after school and at weekends. He even had a “gap year” when he was homeschooled, which enabled him to work even longer hours.

He worked in the kitchen, sometimes with 4am starts. He rolled icecreams, polished floors, and served customers. Now, as a 29-year-old, he still does all those things. The only difference now is that he owns the place.

McKissock had previously worked at Four Square stores throughout the North Island over the years — Featherston, Greytown, Martinborough, Rotorua, Ōhope Beach, Eastbourne and Karori.

He was given more and more responsibility in his early 20s while working at the Martinborough store for its owner Conor Kershaw, and it gave him a glimpse of what it might be like to own and operate his own store.

He was given the chance to learn every aspect of the business. Parent company Foodstuffs was supportive with on-the-job training and career pathways, he said.

So when the opportunity came to purchase the Shannon store, shortly after he was approved as a store operator, he phoned his bank manager.

“They said ohhhhh … all right,” he said.

McKissock said he described himself as lucky, in that he loves what he does. His motto was “people, pace, and the ability to grow”. He has plenty of energy and often works 100 hours or more a week.

“I am honestly doing what I love. This is a dream come true,” he said.

He was keen to be involved and supportive of the wider community and already had donated a display cabinet to the Waitarere Beach book exchange.

McKissock formerly took over keys to the store this month from previous owner Corey MacMillan.

“I want to wish Corey, Pania and Jan all the best. They were great to deal with,” he said.

Corey MacMillan had owned the store for the past 17 years, jointly with sister Pania and mother Jan. His journey to store ownership was similar to McKissock’s. He initially worked at Levin’s New World supermarket, which at the time was owned by the late Stuart Irons.

“It’s pretty much how it works,” he said.

“Stuart Irons was my mentor and he told me from the start that the business was all about people. You can’t do anything without staff, customers and your suppliers. He was absolutely right. That was good advice.”

MacMillan said he had got to know the Shannon community well and in that time had seen young children grow into adults. He was on a first-name basis with most of them.

“It becomes a trust thing. That’s the guts of it. It’s hard to put into words, but you get to know people and treat people with respect and build that rapport and they give you the time of day,” he said.

“I want to thank the staff and customers for their support over the last 17 years.”

MacMillan would take away more than a few work stories. There were two ram raids, there was a truck that had overturned outside the shop, and a bypass for more than six months due to roadworks, but it was all in a day’s work.

He was a keen golfer and looking forward to spending more time on the course, and watching his grandchildren play sport at the weekend. He had also joined the gym.

“I haven’t been to the gym in 17 years,” he said.

“It’s time to smell the roses.”