The Warehouse bets on new campaign to return to retail market leadership

The campaign was part of the company’s new strategy. (Source: Supplied)

By Uyen Duong Aug 24, 2026

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The Warehouse has launched ‘This Is Warehouse Country’ as part of its turnaround and transformation program, with the company aiming to recover the position of Aotearoa New Zealand’s number one retailer.

Developed with TBWA New Zealand, the campaign launched on August 23 across television, digital, social media, outdoor advertising and all 84 The Warehouse stores. It focuses on memories and life milestones that have connected New Zealanders with the retailer for more than four decades. These include starting school, baby showers and road trips with whānau (family).

The Warehouse Group CEO Mark Stirton said the campaign was part of the company’s new strategy.

“Eighty per cent of Kiwis live within 20 minutes of The Warehouse. That’s an enviable footprint for any retailer and we owe it to the 1.5 million customers who come through our doors every week to keep raising the bar for them,” Stirton said.

The campaign centres on the ‘Never Missed’ concept and features the Māori phrase ‘Ko Te Warewhare Te Kāinga’. The Warehouse said the phrase is not a direct translation of ‘This Is Warehouse Country’, but conveys a sense of familial belonging that many New Zealanders have with the retailer.

The use of te reo Māori is part of The Warehouse’s efforts to help normalise the indigenous language of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Shane Bradnick, CCO at TBWA New Zealand, said the campaign focuses on customer experiences rather than products or promotions and explores The Warehouse’s role across different settings and life events, including first homes, driving lessons, rainy days and sporting weekends.

“That gave us a powerful brand platform,” said Bradnick. “When you start looking at New Zealand through that lens, you realise this really is Warehouse Country.”

The campaign also features The Warehouse’s Red Bag. Rachel Hitchcock, GM Marketing at The Warehouse, said the company wanted to highlight its Kiwi heritage and connection with New Zealanders.

“I hope that Kiwis find these stories heartwarming but also relatable – that they can see a little bit of themselves in these unmistakably Kiwi moments,” Rachel said.