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Crackerjack NZ — Executive Summary

One-page leave-behind. Prepared April 2026.

The Business​

15-store North Island discount retailer. Hunt globally, sell below market. ~70 staff. Active eCommerce plus physical presence from Whangarei to Masterton. Revenue estimated NZD $20–40M (private company — no public financials).

In 2018, CEO Craig Faulkner made a deliberate strategic move: from pure clearance buying to planned category buying. Better product, better brand, better locations. A genuine strategic upgrade.

It also created a new risk the business has not yet structured a response to.

The Friction​

Foreign exchange exposure — unmanaged.

Planned buying means forward purchase commitments in USD and GBP. NZD/USD is currently trading approximately 15% below its 7-year average. On an estimated NZD $8–24M import base, a 10% NZD move = NZD $800K–2.4M in landed cost increase. In discount retail, you cannot reprice mid-season. The entire hit goes to margin.

Competitive displacement — invisible.

25% of NZ adults now purchase from Temu. US-tariffed inventory is being redirected into NZ through 2025, intensifying price pressure across Crackerjack's core categories. There is no systematic way to track where Temu pricing has crossed below Crackerjack's margin floor — until the sales line moves.

Two margin pressures. Neither is visible in real time with current tools.

The Experiment​

Currency Exposure Audit + 90-Day Protection Roadmap — NZD $3,500 + GST

One number from the CFO — annual import payables by currency. Thirty days. One board-ready output:

  • Exact FX exposure in three NZD scenarios (flat, -5%, -10%)
  • REAL vs ARTIFACT map of the FX management workflow — what the AI handles, what stays with the CFO
  • 90-day roadmap: three steps to automate FX monitoring and connect to hedging execution
  • Competitive intelligence baseline: Temu pricing in three of Crackerjack's highest-exposure categories

Before committing: Send us one month's import payables. We return a three-scenario exposure model within 24 hours, at no charge. If the number is smaller than expected — the audit is not right for you right now.

The Anchor Question​

"Do you know, right now, what a 10% drop in the NZD this quarter would cost you in margin?"

If the answer is "not exactly" — the audit produces that number. The number is worth knowing before the next container ships.

Prepared by Dreamineering. April 2026.