Newspaper Article 1995 – Supermarket innovator dies, 54

Supermarket innovator dies, 54

Hastings supermarket trade innovator, Stuart Marr, died yesterday after a long battle with cancer. He was 54. Mr Marr was born and educated in Hastings where he attended Hastings Boys’ High School from 1953 to 1955.

While at school, Mr Marr began his grocery apprenticeship delivering groceries by bicycle and basket for his father, the late William Marr, who ran Marr’s Grocery on the corner of Heretaunga St and Warren St.

Mr Marr’s first job on leaving school was in the parts department at the Anderson and Hensen garage situated on the present K mart site in Hastings.

In 1960, he and Bryan Hutchinson left for a six-month working holiday in Australia, where Mr Marr worked in a cash-and-carry supermarket while Mr Hutchinson worked in a carpet-laying business.

On returning home, Mr Marr worked for his father between 1963 and 1966 before opening his first shop, a Four Square store on the corner of Gascoigne St and Railway Rd.

He worked there until 1970 when he opened a New World supermarket at Maraenui, where he traded for 22 years.

During this period, Mr Marr also developed the Write Price supermarket in Hastings in 1983 and bought the Havelock North New World supermarket in 1987. He sold the Havelock North supermarket in 1991.

Mr Marr was a past president of the National Association of Retail Grocers of New Zealand and a director of Foodstuffs Wellington since 1986.

He has been described by his peers as a successful operator and an innovator in the supermarket trade, who also felt strongly about putting money back into the community, introducing the computers for schoolchildren concept to Hastings.

Mr Marr was a motor racing and classic cars “fanatic”, owning an Austin Healey and an E-Type Jaguar.

He is survived by his wife, Doreen, and daughter Treena.

Photo caption – Mr Marr