Could New Zealand stores be next in line for a redesign?

Changes currently being trialled in Kmart stores across Australia could eventually make their way to New Zealand, as the retailer looks to improve customer flow and strengthen loss prevention measures.

According to comments made by Retail NZ Chief Executive Carolyn Young, Kmart’s new store format is expected to help reduce shoplifting while creating a more efficient shopping experience.

The updated “Plan C+” format, which has already been introduced in 16 Australian stores, features controlled entry and exit points alongside the relocation of self-service checkouts from the centre of the store to the front exit area.

Kmart Group Managing Director, Aleksandra Spaseska, recently confirmed that the retailer expects around 40 Australian stores to be operating under the new format by the end of the 2026/27 financial year.

Speaking to 1News, Young said the revised layout should make it easier for Kmart to manage both customer movement and product flow throughout the store. “They can move customers through more efficiently, manage the flow of goods and people out of the store so that people are only leaving the store with what they’ve paid for.”

The move represents a significant shift for the retailer, effectively reversing a store design strategy adopted more than a decade ago when many checkouts were relocated away from store entrances and exits.

Young suggested that if the Australian trial delivers the expected results, similar changes could be introduced across New Zealand stores in the future.

The decision is also likely to be welcomed by shoppers, many of whom have long expressed frustration at having to navigate back to centrally located checkouts before leaving the store.

From a Retail Risk perspective, this is about far more than the location of a checkout. It is the latest example of retailers rethinking store layouts to balance customer convenience with operational efficiency, stock protection and shrink reduction. As retail crime continues to evolve, physical store design is increasingly becoming another tool in the loss prevention toolkit, sitting alongside technology, intelligence sharing and frontline teams.

Whether Kmart’s latest format becomes the blueprint for future stores remains to be seen, but it will undoubtedly be a topic of interest for retailers across Australia and New Zealand.

The role of store design, customer flow and emerging loss prevention strategies will also be among the key discussions at Retail Risk – Melbourne on 13th August, where industry leaders will explore the latest approaches to tackling retail crime and protecting profitability.