New Zealand's Countdown supermarket chain is rebranding to Woolworths. The change, which began in early 2024 as part of a $400 million investment, aligns the brand with its Australian parent company, Woolworths Group. The transition includes updated store signage, refreshed layouts, and a new loyalty program.

What has happened to Countdown?

However, sadly, that will not be the case. Countdown has been canceled after one season, Deadline reports, citing total global viewership. That means the series ended on a major cliffhanger, with Oliveras (Jessica Camacho) having been kidnapped by the sniper the team was after. He then...

Is Countdown 2025 finished?

Canceled on Friday, October 10, 2025.

Why did Countdown change its name to Woolworths?

“The $NZ400m announced today is not the cost to change the name but the planned investment over the next three years to create better experiences for our customers across our store network, with a focus on older stores across Aotearoa,” they added.

Did they renew Countdown?

After Prime Video announced it would not be renewing Countdown for a second season, Ackles, 47, shared his reaction to the unexpected news on social media. “It's a bummer because I had such an amazing time making that show,” he said in an Oct. 11 Instagram video. “Had an absolute blast with the cast and the crew.”

Amazing Countdown moment as Rachel Riley spells her name at odds of over 4.48 million to 1 !!!

Why is HgTV canceling so many shows?

HGTV's struggles led to the cancellation of big shows

“Home reno shows are expensive because all of the materials are jacked up and on delay, the price of wood and marble and everything else is going up, so these shows don't make as much sense anymore,” a source told Deadline.

Does Woolworths still exist?

Retail chains using the Woolworth name survived in Austria, Germany and Mexico as of 2025. The similarly named Woolworths supermarkets in Australia and New Zealand are operated by Australia's largest retail company, Woolworths Group, a separate company with no historical links to the F. W.

What is Countdown called now?

Until the brand's rebranding, there were 194 Countdown stores, with 61 in Auckland. In July 2023, the company announced that all Countdown stores would be rebranded back to Woolworths, the name of the parent company and name of the supermarket used in Australia.

What are grocery stores called in New Zealand?

New Zealand has two major players in the supermarket game: Foodstuffs and Woolworths. Foodstuffs owns New World, Pak n Save and Four Square, while Woolworth owns Countdown. FreshChoice supermarkets are also operated under franchise agreements with Wholesale Distributors Ltd, a division of Woolworths New Zealand.

Is the butterfly canceled?

On October 10, 2025, Amazon Prime Video canceled Butterfly after one season, despite hitting #1 on Amazon's US top 10 chart, #2 on Amazon's global top 10 chart, and #6 on the Nielsen US TV chart in the week of its debut.

Will there be a season 2 of Countdown 2025?

There will be no Season 2 for Prime Video's #Countdown, starring Jensen Ackles and Eric Dane, among others. And that's not the only big cancellation at the streamer today...

Is Countdown discontinued?

It stars Jensen Ackles, Jessica Camacho, Violett Beane, Elliot Knight, Uli Latukefu and Eric Dane. It was released on Amazon Prime Video on June 25, 2025. In October 2025, the series was canceled after one season.

Why is Rachel Riley being replaced?

Rachel, 39, will temporarily step away from the daytime hit to focus on another project. Countdown producers have drafted in mathematician Dr Tom Crawford as her replacement. Dr Crawford appears more than qualified for the role, having obtained a PhD in Fluid Dynamics from the University of Cambridge.

Why did Countdown rebrand?

In 2023, Countdown announced plans to rebrand to Woolworths Supermarkets New Zealand, to give customers more value, better ways to shop, greater investment in local communities and deeper sustainability leadership.

Is Countdown still on Channel 4?

It is broadcast on Channel 4 and is most recently presented by Colin Murray, assisted by Rachel Riley with lexicographer Susie Dent.

Is Countdown 2025 canceled?

Yes, the Amazon Prime Video series Countdown, starring Jensen Ackles, was cancelled in October 2025 after just one season, despite a popular run that ended on a cliffhanger, with reports citing lower-than-desired global viewership as a primary reason for the decision by Amazon. Fans were disappointed, and Ackles himself expressed sadness over the cancellation, as reported across multiple entertainment news outlets. 

Did Walmart buy Woolworths?

On January 14, 1994, in order to repay the $1.7 billion debt incurred from international specialty store expansion, the Woolworth Corporation sold most of the Woolco Canada stores to Walmart. Walmart did not acquire the Woolco stores that were either unionized or had downtown locations.

Are there any Woolworth heirs left today?

Yes, there are descendants of the F.W. Woolworth family, with some recent news mentioning living blood successors like Judith and her family, who are descendants through Woolworth's daughter Jessie, though the original vast fortune was dispersed, with much going to Barbara Hutton, the "Poor Little Rich Girl", whose own heirs would be distant relatives today.
 

What replaced Woolworths?

Pound stores and discount retailers have largely replaced the retail footprint of Woolworths. Almost 40% of all the Woolworths stores that have been let or are under offer since the chain collapsed late last year have gone to pound stores.

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