Business beat

FRANK NELSON

Summerset Blenheim to add 100 new homes
Blenheim’s Summerset retirement village will add another 100 independent living units to the 150 already planned for its Old Renwick Road campus once an adjacent four-hectare block of land is fully developed.

Besides housing, the new site will eventually feature a clubhouse, swimming pool, croquet lawn, bowling green, pickleball court and other facilities.

Meanwhile, the present retirement village continues to grow. Manager Jo Neuhauser says 81 single-storey villas and cottages have now been built of which 55 are occupied. Work is also underway on a large, central building housing offices, a café and bar, activities room, gym, library and more.

In addition to the 150 independent living units, Jo said there will be 20 serviced apartments and 30 care beds for residents requiring rest home, hospital or respite facilities.

Fidelio Café and Wine Bar now closed
Fidelio Café and Wine Bar, a venue for live music – contemporary and classical – along with tapas, shared plates and a wide selection of wines, has closed and the business is now for sale.

Elgee Leung and his wife Josie, who ran the café in Blenheim’s historic railway station for two years, have moved to Christchurch with their new baby.

Picton Business Group launches new website
Following what chairman Hamish Watson calls a “fairly robust consultation process,” the Picton Business Group has launched a new web site firmly focused on information and promotion. The group’s other members are Tania Garbes, Scott Fuller, Richard Briggs, Barbara Speedy, Ronald Ragen, Nicci Fitzgerald, Ashleigh McLean, David Hancock and Angus Mann.

Zephyr Wines wins at Wine Awards
Marlborough’s Zephyr Wines has just won champion organic wine at the New Zealand National Wine Awards in Auckland for the second successive year. This time a 2024 riesling took the honours; last year it was a 2024 gewurztraminer.

Winning winemaker Ben Glover said the family winery in Dillons Point Road, started by his parents Owen and Wendy Glover back in 1988, has been farmed organically since 2017.

New vetirinary practice in Renwick
After working together for about seven years in the animal health industry, Heath Dickson and Trish Lipyeat recently launched their own veterinary practice in Renwick.

At Marlborough Farm Vets, Trish will be dealing primarily with cattle, sheep, horses and deer, while Heath brings management and business acumen to the new venture.

Heath estimates 95 percent of the work will be done out on farms including lifestyle blocks where Trish will also treat animals such as goats or alpacas.
The Renwick clinic will still have facilities for consultations and some on-site treatments, plus a shop selling animal health products.