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Customers queue for service at the new Choppies Supermarket in Gwanda yesterday

Marvelous Moyo Gwanda Correspondent
BOTSWANA-listed retail group, Choppies has spread its wings to Gwanda where it opened its first branch in the mining town yesterday.

Vice-President Phelekezela Mphoko, who is also Choppies Zimbabwe chairman will officially open the new branch tomorrow.

Scores of residents swarmed the new outlet as soon as it opened its doors around 9AM.

A management official at the shop confirmed the VP would grace tomorrow’s event.

The new big supermarket is located at Phakama Business Centre where Spar Supermarket used to operate from before it shut down recently.

The new outlet has also created job opportunities for local people apart from increasing business activity in the not so busy town. “We’re happy to say that most of the employees here are locals. We also absorbed workers that were employed by Spar,” said a management official.

Customers expressed excitement saying the opening of a new business by a company such as Choppies was a big opportunity for Gwanda.

They hoped to get real value for their hard earned money as they accused some supermarkets in the town of profiteering due to lack of competition.

“I’m really happy about the opening of a Choppies branch here in Gwanda. We were so much in need of their services in this town. We’ll now be able to buy goods at affordable prices and closer to us since it is located in the high density where the majority of residents are found,” said Siphethokuhle Moyo, a resident.

“The working class will also be able to shop after knocking off from work since the supermarket closes at 8PM unlike others that close early.”

Another resident, Liberty Makombe said the location of the supermarket was a big advantage for them.

“We’ll now do our shopping at our doorsteps and the prices of basic commodities here are affordable. There won’t be any need for us to travel to the CBD,” he said.

Gwanda Mayor, Councillor Knowledge Ndlovu has said council was encouraged by the increase in the number of investors showing interest in the mining town.

He hoped the opening of big companies in Gwanda would lure other companies to penetrate the local market.

Choppies recently reported that it had secured $15 million from Barclays Bank of Botswana to expand its business operations in the country.

The Botswana headquartered group has 16 outlets in Zimbabwe with dominance in Bulawayo where it runs major outlets.

It also operates in South Africa and has set itself an ambitious target of clocking up to $350 million in turnover by 2018.

It has also set up shop in Harare and plans to expand across the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa.