Countdown will open its first metro store in Wellington, on the corner of Lambton Quay and Cable Car Lane.

Expected to open late 2015, the new Countdown will cover 1000sqm and will create up to 50 new jobs in central Wellington.

Adrian Walker, Countdown’s property GM, says the company has secured a lease in central Wellington with one of the highest footfall counts in the city, accessible to the capital’s main working population.

“We’ve seen the metro format to be very popular in Auckland, where we opened a similar sized store in 2012.

Being in the Wellington CBD, the store will also cater to the large walking population including local workers, central city residents, and visitors to the Cable Car tourist attraction.

“It’s no secret we’ve been looking for CBD opportunities in Wellington for a long time, and, along with recent store openings in Crofton Downs and Petone, plus a new store planned at the Reading Cinema Centre, this will provide further convenience and competition, across the city,” said Walker.

Work to fit out the site at 280-284 Lambton Quay is expected to begin in mid-2015.