Our Stores

The Grocer is all about getting back to basics.

Meat from your local butcher that was raised down the road; an in-house homekill service to process your livestock; and filling and tasty homemade treats from our bakery to get you through your day.

Found at three locations across the pastoral Southland province (Woodlands, Lorneville, Invercargill), The Grocer is everything you need in an old-fashioned store, found in your neighbourhood. From high quality cuts and homemade treats, to hot meals and artisianal products, The Grocer is a cornerstone of honest, local fare.

Woodlands was the first of The Grocer locations to be established.

The Grocer owner Craig Hamilton purchased Woodlands Butchery in 1999 having served as an apprentice in Invercargill since the age of 16. In 2005, the butchery was expanded into the dairy next door. Craig Phillips joined as a shareholder in 2013 having progressed through the ranks as a butcher’s boy from aged 12. Since then, the business has grown into a bustling hub offering barista coffee, delicious home baked goods, and fresh pies made with meat from the butchery and bread from the instore bakery. The Grocer Woodlands also offers a home kill service with meat processed onsite.

The Grocer’s Lorneville location became part of the cohort in 2008.

Formally known as Isla Bank Butchery, this was purchased by Craig Hamilton and Alistair & Julie Burgess in 2008. Craig Phillips came on board as a shareholder in 2013 and since then the business grown to offer the same fantastic service and food offerings as The Grocer Woodlands and Invercargill. A key part of The Grocer Lorneville is the onsite abattoir with its flexible drop off accepting stock 7 days of the week. As with The Grocer Woodlands, Lorneville also has a real focus on supporting the wider rural community with employment and butcher apprenticeships.

And then, Invercargill joined the growing number of The Grocer’s locations.

Woodlands Butchery and Nigel Russell bought Big Reds Butchery in 2004. In 2020, Woodlands Butchery brought shareholder and butcher Matt Heenan into the fold and together now they operate The Grocer Invercargill. Over the past year the business has expanded to offer a fantastic service and range of products to Invercargill City with barista coffee, freshly baked pies and other hot and cold food to go options on offer. The Grocer Invercargill also offers a home kill service with meat processed onsite.