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Prosper Ndlovu Business Editor—
BULAWAYO-headquartered retail giant, Choppies Zimbabwe, on Friday opened a branch in Gokwe, its 30th in the country since the company established business in Zimbabwe three years ago. The new branch is the third in the Midlands province with two others in Gweru. Several others have been opened in Bulawayo, Harare, Gwanda and Bindura. On the same day its Botswana-listed parent company opened its first branch in Lusaka, Zambia, as part of an aggressive regional expansion drive.
Choppies Zimbabwe director Siqokoqela Mphoko said the company has invested close to $700,000 in the new Gokwe business, which has created 55 jobs for the local community. Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko’s family is a key shareholder in Choppies.
Excitement gripped the town on Friday morning as scores of people scrambled to gain entry into the mega outlet and took turns to interact with Mphoko and his staff.
The entrance of Choppies in Gokwe sets the stage for increased competition in the retail sector where it offers bakery, fast food, butchery and grocery services. “The opening of the Gokwe outlet is part of our aggressive expansion drive as we seek to grow the business. Gokwe is a significant business destination at the heart of the Midlands because of cotton,” said Mphoko.
“This community needs quality service hence we’ve come to bring competition, which is good for the consumer. As Choppies we believe everything we do is because of God’s grace and we cherish the opportunity given to us to offer this service by our government and by the Gokwe community.”
He said his company was determined to assist the government in creating job opportunities in line with the country’s economic blueprint, Zim-Asset. “The coming in of Choppies here is an opportunity for the farming community, which can supply its products to us. We’re the people’s shop and we offer people’s prices. We believe in empowering people and giving them value for their money instead of looting,” said Mphoko.
“We promote local manufacturing, which assists our local companies to grow. As a patriotic company we support the Buy Zimbabwe thrust and want to see this economy grow by supporting it. Businesses should thrive on volumes and not high price margins.”
Going forward he said Choppies would continue to expand its business countrywide, riding on the support it gets from the communities it operates in. Mphoko urged the Gokwe community to embrace use of plastic money saying Choppies would continue supporting the facility with a cash back option of up to $200.
He said the country was ripe for investment and called on Zimbabweans to discard negative attitudes about their country by investing in it. Mphoko also paid tribute to Choppies staff and management for spearheading the success of the company saying he was proud to be affiliated with such a team.
He pledged to continue strengthening relations with suppliers and consumers to ensure sustainable growth. The Gokwe outlet would be officially opened by VP Mphoko soon.
derick.khumalo