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Business Correspondent
A LOCAL company in the hardware industry — Max Hardware — has embraced new technology in marketing by using latest social media trends to attract customers in the diaspora who have emerged as the biggest players in the property sector. In an interview on Friday Max Hardware managing director Mr Bhekimpilo Sithole said the company has realised the need to attract locals working outside the country as they were involved in many building projects.
“We realised we had to tap into a new market if we were going to make it in the business and using the internet has attracted a steady flow of clients who have made purchases but we still believe there are a lot of people locally who can be our customers and we are working on winning them over,” said Mr Sithole.
He said the company has now opened a second branch in Bulawayo after the first one which was opened in January.
“Rather than just enjoying profits from one shop I thought it prudent to quickly open up another shop which I believe will give me a better footing to expand further. Our aim is to open more outlets both within and outside Bulawayo and continuously create employment.
“With the opening of the new outlet we have created four jobs but we are not going to stop here and we believe there is scope to move to towns outside Bulawayo such as Filabusi and Gwanda. I now have 12 employers; four at the old hardware and another are in the spares retail outlet,” he said.
Mr Sithole said he invested $5 000 in opening the new branch. The hardware stocks various building material including doors, door frames, roofing sheets, barbed wire, cisterns, toilet seats, electrical wiring and tubing, cement, paints, switches, sockets and other related products.
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