Elles Road New World owner Bradley Patton is passionate about creating a healthier community.

Which is why he has made some great changes at his supermarket, changes that could help his community make the healthy choice the easy choice.

It is a concept which aligns well with the vision of Healthy Families Invercargill.

As a member of the Healthy Families Invercargill Leadership Group, Patton is committed to helping his community make healthy choices.

However, he is adamant it is not about forcing people to choose those healthy options. It is about providing them for people if they want them – answering consumer demand.

He has noticed in the two years since he has owned the supermarket, that that demand has changed though – people are starting to ask for those healthier options in store.

‘’It’s as much us facilitating healthy choices as it is customers asking for it.’’

As a result, the supermarket now stocks a larger range of healthier options.

Confectionary has been reduced at the checkouts and replaced with the likes of bliss balls and nuts, and renovations carried out in store last year have created brighter, more stylish fresh produce departments.

The renovations have allowed the store to stock a larger range of fresh produce and has allowed them to be presented in a way that is more appealing to customers.

The most recent change has been to make the supermarket’s carpark smokefree.

Feedback from the change has so far been positive.

And staff are on board with the changes.

A team has been entered in this year’s Vodafone Workplace Challenge, run by Sport Southland, and the business pays for staff to enter health-related activities such as the Relay for Life.

For Bradley, that healthy messaging has always been important.

‘’I’m a strong believer that physical activity is great for physical health, great for mental health and great for social interaction.’’

He is also demonstrating leadership in the community through various community-related pursuits. The supermarket is involved in the Food for Thought programme, an initiative designed to give school students an up close look at food and nutritional information, and so far this year, several classes from Invercargill schools have come for a tour of the supermarket.

He is also donating seedlings from the supermarket’s Little Garden initiative to a community garden being set up at Plunket.

‘’We just wanted to spread our support as wide as possible and look after the kids, parents, families and organisations that ultimately support us with business.’’

Caption: Elles Road New World owner and Healthy Families Invercargill Leadership Group member Bradley Patton.