St Heliers residents oppose opening of fast food chain

Some residents of an upmarket Auckland suburb are worried the opening of a Domino’s pizza franchise will change the character of their seaside village.

A branch of Domino’s will be opening at the beginning of July on Polygon Street in the heart of St Heliers, where a Video Ezy store was previously located.

However, the new addition to the village has been met with disappointment by some who see it as a move away from the traditional style of locally-owned eateries.

“St Heliers is an upmarket area. A fast food chain will ultimately cheapen the village,” said one St Heliers resident, Julia Schiller.

Fellow local Philippa Haslam, 19, believes the new location of Domino’s is unnecessary given there is another store close by.

“There’s a Domino’s in Glen Innes which is a five minute drive away,” said Ms Haslam. “I feel like this is a bit excessive and we don’t need it.”

St Heliers resident of 10 years, Bryce McKeown, is concerned the opening will attract other fast food chains to the area.

“Fast food chains tend to follow each other for competition,” said Mr McKeown. “I feel that this could be the beginning of large corporations such as McDonald's, KFC and Burger King coming in and taking over the village.”

The village is home to restaurants and cafes, most of which are locally owned, with Bakers delight one of the only national food franchises.

Board member of the St Heliers/Glendowie Residents’ Association, Robert Johnston, said he wishes to preserve the pristine character of the village by not allowing other food franchises to open there.

“I do not want St Heliers to become any more of a Mission Bay,” said Mr Johnston, referring to the popular beach suburb located only a short distance away that has several chain eateries such as Burger Fuel, Mexicali Fresh, KiwiYo and Starbucks.

Owner of St Heliers Italian pizzeria restaurant Scalini’s, Michael Colosimo, doesn’t believe the takeaway pizza store will thrive in the area as it is a “cheap” product targeted at a young demographic.

“I don’t think it’s the right demographic to be opening a Domino’s in St Heliers,” said Mr Colosimo.

According to Quotable Value Limited, statistics show nearly 45 per cent of residents living in St Heliers are over 50 years old.

“Our pizzas are authentic and have fresh toppings. You know what Domino’s are like, they are cheap and don’t have fresh toppings,” said Mr Colosimo.

However, the previous owner of Video Ezy St Heliers, James Wilson, believes residents’ opinions are likely to change once the store is established.

“They viewed Video Ezy coming into St Heliers 18 years ago the same as Domino’s, a big chain coming in and ruining the village atmosphere,” said Mr Wilson. “But in the end people grew to love the business.”

Domino's did not respond to multiple requests for a comment on this story.