Department Stores & Fashion Mailer This Week in New Zealand

What counts as a department store here

New Zealand has very few true department stores left, and shoppers know it. Searches for "department store nz" bring up Farmers first, with suggestions for Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch following behind. This hub is smaller than the name suggests, and it is honest about being mixed: two general department stores, Farmers department store and Kmart New Zealand, and one jeweller, Pascoes jewellery, which sits here because its catalogues follow the gifting calendar rather than the weekly shop. Wikipedia lists both Farmers and Pascoes under the privately owned James Pascoe Group.

None of these are supermarkets, so the rhythm is different. You are not planning dinner from a mailer. You are deciding whether a sofa, a school uniform top or an anniversary present is worth waiting for. For food, head to the supermarkets hub, and for the big picture see our New Zealand overview.

Farmers: club points and a service line

Farmers is the traditional department store of the three. People search for "farmers nz catalogue", "farmers nz online catalogue", "farmers furniture nz catalogue" and "farmers nz sale today", which tells you the catalogue is used both as a browse-the-range tool and as a sale checker. Furniture gets its own search, so do not assume the main catalogue is the only one that matters.

The Farmers Club is free, with points and member offers, and the rules have been described by Consumer NZ and Stoppress. The customer service line is 0800 327 637 (contactus@farmers.co.nz) and runs Monday to Friday 7am to 6pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm. It is closed on Sunday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day. That is the service line, not the shop floor, so check your store separately.

Kmart: the catalogue as new-arrivals list

Kmart is owned by Wesfarmers, and its New Zealand revenue has grown from $213 million in 2013 to $1.23 billion according to Newsroom. The company's 26 New Zealand locations were reported by Inside Retail in February 2026. Shoppers use a different vocabulary for it: "kmart nz new arrivals catalogue", "kmart outdoor furniture nz catalogue" and "kmart nz catalogue online". The catalogue works more like a seasonal range preview than a weekly shout of reductions.

The returns policy is the useful fact. A change of mind is accepted within 60 days with proof of purchase, under a policy effective April 2026, and the Consumer Guarantees Act applies to faulty goods. Those are two different routes. The first is Kmart's own generosity. The second is a legal right that applies to goods bought for personal or household use whatever the store policy says.

Pascoes: gifts, delivery and Afterpay

Pascoes is the odd one out, and the queries show why. "Pascoes christmas catalogue" and "pascoes sale catalogue" are the two themes, and both are about timing a purchase. The privately owned James Pascoe Group (the Norman family) runs it. Free delivery applies on orders over $80, there is an Easy Gift Exchange within 30 days, and Afterpay is promoted on the homepage.

Mall hours vary, and restricted trading days apply.

Comparing the three side by side

• Loyalty: Farmers Club is free and points-based. Kmart's most prominent fact is its returns policy rather than a club. Pascoes leans on delivery, exchange and Afterpay.
• Catalogue use: Farmers for the whole range plus furniture, Kmart for what is new, Pascoes for gift deadlines.
• Returns: sixty days for change of mind at Kmart, thirty days for a gift exchange at Pascoes. We have not verified a general change-of-mind window for Farmers.
• Help line: Farmers publishes weekday and Saturday hours but stays closed on Sunday.

Seasonality and trading rules

The retail year here has two peaks. Boxing Day is still a critical sale day, but RNZ reports that Black Friday and the weeks of sales around it now rival it, and Retail NZ's chief executive said Black Friday challenged or topped Boxing Day for many stores last year. If you are watching a department-store catalogue, expect heavy pages in late November and again after Christmas.

Easter is the other fixed point. Employment New Zealand lists Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Anzac Day until 1pm as restricted trading days. Almost all shops must close, and Mondayisation does not move the closure. The listed exceptions cover things like food and essentials, ready-to-eat food, books and souvenirs, and some areas have a local Easter Sunday policy, so check the store rather than assuming.

Practical tactics

• Pick the catalogue by purpose. Use Pascoes before Christmas, Kmart for new ranges, Farmers for furniture and bigger purchases.
• Keep your receipt. Kmart's sixty days is generous, but only with proof of purchase.
• Use the Consumer Guarantees Act for a fault, not just the returns window. Repair, replacement or refund are the remedies, and a substantial fault allows a refund or replacement.
• For a gift, check Pascoes' exchange window before the day, not after.
• Phone the store, not only the service line, before a Sunday trip.

For other kinds of retailers, the discount and general merchandise hub covers cheaper variety formats.