Choppies dominates Matabeleland retailers awards

Wilson Dakwa, Business Reporter
RETAIL giant Choppies Zimbabwe scooped three awards while its director Mr Siqokoqela Mphoko won the Retail Personality of the Year award at the first edition of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) Matabeleland region annual regional retailers and wholesalers awards ceremony held in Bulawayo on Friday.

Choppies won the best retailer-branch network in Matabeleland, best retail/wholesale employer of the year and the Matabeleland retailer of the year award. Choppies was also the first runner up for the Fast Growing Retailer/Wholesaler of the year award, which was won by Zapalala. Zapalala also walked away with the Supermarket of the Year Supplier’ choice.

Food 4 Less’ Trust Kwembeya was awarded the Best Manager of the Year accolade while Patience Kawadza won the Best Woman Retailer of the Year.

CZR president Mr Denford Mutashu applauded retailers for their contribution towards employment creation and industry revival. “The retail sector would like to thank the manufacturers and suppliers for the consistent unconditional support you have given during this difficult time of the economy. However, the sector is seized with the challenges in the country that include contracting demand owing to low disposable incomes,” he said.

“I would like to sincerely thank you all for soldiering on and helping with efforts to revive local industry and create employment in Matabeleland and Bulawayo. Challenges will always be there but let’s focus on the positives such as the vast opportunities for all of us to grow. Let’s expand into the marginalised areas, the rural consumer is key and requires to be empowered through convenience of services.”

Mr Mutashu urged Government to expedite the local content policy, which seeks to buttress the S.I. 64, which was promulgated to support local industry through this critical incubation period.

He also highlighted that the retailer sector was currently battling price increases and has been in continuous engagement with relevant stakeholders to stabilise prices across the sector. Meanwhile, N Richards Group won the Retailer/Wholesaler of the Year – local procurement award with the Best Rural Retailer Outlet going to Manta Investments (Tsholotsho). Under the Retail Legends award, Life Time Achievement awards were given to the Aziza Hawa (Fazak), Welcome Mabuza (Buy & Build), Elias Androu (Fortwell), Mukundrai BNaik (Umkoko), Fanuel Zvenyika (Greens) and Vupenyu Hove (Broadway Spar).

The Wholesaler of the Year in Matabeleland was won by Fortwell Wholesalers while the Supermarket of the Year consumers’ choice was won by Greens Supermarket. Lobels Biscuits scooped the Groceries Supplier of the Year.

Golden Harmony (Plumtree) won the best small to medium enterprise (SME) retailer of the year award while Defenmas Investments (Beitbridge) and Dubula General Dealer (Plumtree) were the 1st and 2nd runner up respectively. Mr Mutashu urged all retailers to contribute towards collective efforts to reignite the economy and pursue a national industrialisation strategy to boost exports. He, however, bemoaned foreign currency shortages and cried foul over the emergence of the parallel market foreign exchange system high premiums of between 10-36 percent.

“The shortage of foreign currency continues to affect confidence and pricing in the country. Importation of raw materials and goods unavailable on the local market requires urgent attention to prevent imminent shortages of goods. The foreign currency shortage has led to the emergence of the cash parallel market at very high premiums ranging between 10-36 percent.

“This has a negative effect of raising prices of goods and services for the consumers. We appeal to government to continuously double efforts on the ease of doing business, which will enable reduction of bank charges, mobile money charges and make Zimbabwe a destination of choice for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which has eluded us yet we have huge potential and untapped resources both natural and human capital,” he added.

@WilsonDakwa1