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LISTED fast-food group, Simbisa Brands Limited says its Zimbabwe unit served 12.1 million customers in the first quarter of the 2025 financial year with revenue growing by four percent driven by a 12 percent year-on-year increase in customer counts.
The fast foods group says it has prioritised a customer-centric approach, using insights from customer feedback to enhance service delivery and improve the overall customer experience.
Key strategic areas in the quarter included growing revenue from delivery channels, introducing new product offerings, and ramping up marketing efforts to drive top-line performance.
In a trading update for Q1 ended 30 September 2024, Chief executive officer Basil Dioniso said Simbisa Zimbabwe expanded its market share through new store openings, adding a net total of 47 new counters between 30 September 2023 and 30 September 2024, bringing the total to 330 counters trading at the end of the quarter.
Inflationary cost increases put margins under pressure in the quarter under review.
Also Simbisa Zimbabwe’s energy costs more than doubled year-on-year in Q1 FY 2025, driven by a 54 percent increase in electricity tariffs.
However, he said the company is intensifying cost-containment measures to protect margins and improve profitability.
Simbisa Brands is the parent company for Chicken Inn, Nandos, Creammy Inn among others and has operations in the region in countries including Kenya and Eswatini
Going forward, the group has set four key pillars to achieve organic growth and deliver value to all stakeholders during the current financial year.
They range from enhancing customer experience, strengthening brand presence, expanding its reach and driving organic growth.
Mr Dioniso said in Q1 FY 2025, investments were made to refresh the Pizza Inn brand and develop new products across all key brands.
He noted that the introduction of new value offerings and intensified promotional activities have been instrumental in solidifying brand presence and driving increased customer footfall.
Under expanding its reach, a net of five new company-operated counters were opened during the quarter, with 31 additional store openings planned for the remainder of the financial year, primarily in Zimbabwe.
“The Group also has plans to refurbish and refresh 44 counters throughout the year to further enhance the customer experience,” he said.
Between 30 September 2023 and 30 September 2024, the Group opened a net total of 57 new company-operated counters, including 5 in the quarter under review.
Additionally, one new counter was added in franchised markets over the same period.
As of 30 September 2024, the Group’s total store count stands at 720, comprising 606 company-operated counters and 114 franchised outlets.
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