New ownership at Gilmours Central

Introducing Pomana Marsh, new Owner Operator for Gilmours Central

Joining the team in 2011 as a picker and packer, when the branch was still known as Toops, my original sights were not on ownership. In 2015 Peter Blackwell took over the newly rebranded Gilmours store and under his mentorship, I progressed through various roles including Fresh Foods Manager, Customer and Pick Manager, Dispatch Manager, and Transport Manager. Learning about the business and working alongside Pete, my journey became one of steady growth to leadership.

In 2022, with Pete wanting to move toward more personal pursuits, I took on more responsibility as Operations Manager, overseeing Central, Taranaki and Hawkes Bay, and found the natural progression for me was to follow the path to ownership. In 2023 I was accepted into the Foodstuffs trainee owner/operator program and in 2025 given to opportunity to own Gilmours Central.

Born in Marton and having grown up across different parts of the Mid-Central North Island, I have a strong personal connection to the region and its people. My focus is on serving the community.

As the new owner/operators of Gilmours Central, my wife Sheney and I look forward to working with you ensuring reliability, quality, and value for our customers. Our aim is to be the Foodservice Partner you can trust.

Tell us a little bit about where you are from?
Gilmours Central serves numerous communities. Although I was raised in Palmerston North during my school years, I also spent considerable time in different areas of our region as I grew up. I was born in Marton and spent my early childhood in Bulls, and I enjoyed countless weekends with my family in Raetihi. Palmy, to this day, remains the biggest city I’ve ever lived in, and my small-town background instils in me a deep sense of duty towards the people of the Mid-Central North Island.

What do you want to achieve for yourself and for Gilmours Central?
Gilmours Central has a number of active projects happening this year. If you have visited our store in the past year, you may have noticed some construction taking place along the West wing of the building. This project mainly focuses on expanding our freezer and chilled capacity, allowing us to stock a greater variety of products to meet your needs. This enhancement will also enable us to explore new opportunities and product ranges that have previously been challenging to access. We aim to be easy every time, have what you need, and provide fair value every day – we aspire to become the Foodservice Partner you can trust.