Selwyn Open - ahead of the game

Last modified: 29 Jul 2020 10:24am

As part of our Selwyn Open campaign we’re profiling some of the many excellent businesses local to you. You can find these businesses on the Selwyn Business Directory.This week we talk to Andrew and Priscilla Foster from Magnitude Sports Rolleston.

As we reach the point where we can return to our favourite games, Selwyn’s only sports store Magnitude Sports is re-opening its doors.

The store first opened its doors in February last year in Faringdon, later moving to a bigger store in Rolleston’s town centre.

During Alert Levels 4 and 3, they kept going with online orders, product deliveries, contactless pickups, advice over the phone and social media competitions with prizes.

With the number of sports clubs and events in Selwyn, the couple felt there was a need for a sports store in Selwyn, saving residents a drive into Christchurch city. “There’s no one else in Selwyn doing what we’re doing. We’ve got some pretty cool products that will save people from going into town to get them,” Andrew says.

The store offers everything from fishing to footwear, home fitness gear and even sometimes motocross products, all supplied from New Zealand wholesalers, except for some overseas clothing brands.

“We try to keep it as local as we can,” Andrew says. And if there’s anything they don’t have, he says they are happy to order stock in.

The Fosters have lived in Selwyn for 14 years and, with their children Jacob and Libby, are involved with local rugby, netball and football clubs. Living locally helps them keep up with local needs.

They pride themselves on customer service and advice that can sometimes get lost in bigger stores, Andrew says. The store also supports the community by donating prizes to raffles and collaborating with sports clubs and local schools.

“We’re just local people trying to get our business up and running. We want to thrive and get bigger so we can help out the community.”