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Charity Ruzvidzo Business Reporter
RETAIL supermarkets giant Choppies Enterprises says 2015 is the year for broadening its empire and opening more outlets across the country.
Siqokoqela Mphoko, the company’s director, told Business Chronicle yesterday the continued support that the company is getting from its consumers necessitates increased expansion.

“We’re planning to open more stores this year nationwide. I can’t divulge how many as yet but you’ll know in due course.  The consumers, through their undying support, have enabled us to plan our expansion in order for us to serve them,” said Mphoko.

Presently, Choppies is a dominant player in Bulawayo with 15 supermarkets and recently the retail chain opened shop in Harare.

Choppies boasts of more than 1,500 workers.

The company’s annual report for the period June, 30, 2014, indicated that the group intends to expand all over the country over a phased period of between five to 10 years.

Under year two the number of stores would grow to 18 with a turnover of $120 million expected.

This would gradually grow to 25 and 35 in year three and four respectively.

By year five 40 stores would have been opened with an annual turnover of $350 million projected.

The group expects to employ 3,000 people in the period.

In the long term Choppies is targeting 60-plus stores in Zimbabwe.

The company’s revenue for Zimbabwe operations in the year 2014 stood at $2.5million with a net profit of $1.95 million.

Outside Zimbabwe, the retail chain’s foot print extends to rural locations, which have been traditionally underserviced in the retail sector, taking stores to population centres and maintain convenient shop hours and affordable prices for the consumer.

Choppies Zimbabwe is a joint venture between Botswana’s Choppies Enterprises and the Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko’s family.

Choppies is Botswana’s largest retail chain with 63 outlets in Botswana and 13 in South Africa and is mulling plans to expand to Zambia and Mozambique and other countries in Sub Saharan Africa.