ISM Family Mart is a multi-ethnic grocery store in Sydenham, Christchurch, part of the S Mart New Zealand group. The store imports and stocks products from India, Sri Lanka, Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean region, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, aiming to give customers from many different backgrounds a place to find familiar ingredients and household products.
The range runs deep, with more than 2,000 retail line items, eight in-house brands, 600 imported line items, and around 1,000 items available online. Shoppers will find an extensive rice selection, from basmati to regional varieties like Ponni, Sona Masoori and Kaima (ghee) rice, alongside lentils and pulses, whole and ground spices, curry masalas, pickles, sauces, snacks, beverages, and personal care and Ayurvedic products.
Beyond groceries, the store carries kitchen utensils, pressure cookers, and religious products, alongside frozen items like vegetables and fish. Describing itself as offering a "multi-ethnic shopping experience," the business positions itself as a one-stop destination for customers seeking ingredients not typically found in mainstream supermarkets.
ISM Family Mart brings a multi-ethnic grocery experience to Sydenham, Christchurch, part of the wider S Mart New Zealand group. Rather than focusing on a single cuisine, the store imports products from India, Sri Lanka, Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean region, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, giving customers from a wide range of backgrounds a place to find ingredients that mainstream supermarkets often don't stock.
The scale of the range is a key part of the store's identity: more than 2,000 retail line items, eight in-house brands, 600 imported line items, and roughly 1,000 items available to order online. That range starts with rice, where shoppers can choose from basmati varieties like India Gate Feast Rozzana, India Gate Sella, and Daawat Pulav Basmati Rice, through to regional rice types such as Sona Masoori, Ponni, Sri Lanka's Derana Rosa Kekulu, and specialty rices like Jeerakasala (ghee) rice for celebration cooking.
Beyond rice, the lentils and pulses section covers the staples of South Asian cooking: toor dal, masoor dal, chana dal, moong dal, urad in both whole and split form, horse gram, and a range of beans including red kidney beans and turtle beans. The spice aisle carries whole spices like black mustard seed, whole chilli, cumin seed and fenugreek seed, alongside ground spices and curry masalas for building the flavour bases used across many of the cuisines the store serves.
ISM Family Mart's range extends well past dry goods. Wheat flours, cooking oil and ghee sit alongside baking flavours, while a dedicated pickles and sauces section covers pickles, sauces, ketchup, jams and squashes, plus canned foods. Personal care products, including hair care, skin care, tooth care and Ayurvedic items, are stocked alongside beverages such as coffee, tea, health drinks and milk products. For quick eats, there's a snacks section covering dry and frozen snacks, nuts, dried fruit and sweets.
The store also carries products organised by country of origin — including dedicated Sri Lankan, Fijian, Pacific Island and Mediterranean sections — plus frozen vegetables and fish, kitchen utensils, pressure cookers, and religious products.
ISM Family Mart operates as part of the S Mart New Zealand online store, meaning customers aren't limited to browsing in person. Online shoppers get free delivery on orders above $100 across the South Island, same-day delivery within Dunedin (delivery charges apply), and the option of click and collect to pick up an online order in store. The business also offers a wholesale option for customers buying in bulk.
ISM Family Mart describes itself as "a multi-ethnic customers driven entity," a description that runs through everything from its product range to its marketing, which leans on ideas like a "multi-ethnic shopping experience" and "trust with happiness." For customers cooking dishes from South Asia, Sri Lanka, the Pacific Islands, Africa, the Middle East or the Mediterranean, it offers a single destination to find the specific brands and ingredients those cuisines call for.
ISM Family Mart is located on Colombo Street in Sydenham, Christchurch, giving local shoppers direct access to the same extensive multi-ethnic grocery range available through the group's online store.