Halstead Express expands to Victoria Falls Halsted Builders Express

Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
ONE of the country’s hardware suppliers, Halsted Builders Express, has established a new branch in Victoria Falls where it seeks to tap into the fast-growing construction sector in the country’s newest city.

Established in 1949 by brothers Paul and Robert Halsted, who opened a jointly-owned company in Bulawayo and called it Halsted Brothers Ltd, the family-run business comprises nine well-appointed branches nationwide at Msasa, Workington, Borrowdale, Mazorodze in Harare, Bulawayo, Kwekwe, Masvingo, Mutare and Marondera.

Victoria Falls becomes the latest while plans are underway to open the Gweru branch soon.

In a statement, the company said the Victoria Falls shop has already been set up and is set to be officially opened end of this month.

With a staff complement of 793 employees countrywide, the opening of the new branch is expected to provide employment opportunities for Victoria Falls residents.

Besides employment opportunities, Victoria Falls residents who had endured exorbitant prices charged by a few available hardware shops, will breathe a sigh of relief as Halsted is expected to usher in competition that will result in competitive prices.

The company started with six employees and traded in tools, hardware and specialist products to mines. The second branch was opened in Harare, then Salisbury in 1964 before another one in the 1970s.

In 1974 the shop opened branches in Mutare and Kwekwe as it spread across the country.

The company has grown in product range and improved national footprint having embraced digitisation with introduction of computerised shopping at its branches.

Since 2014, Halsted has been rebranding and converting some trade stores into retail shops resulting in birth of Halsted Builders Express.

Victoria Falls is growing at a faster rate in terms of infrastructure as hotels and lodges are sprouting up but unavailability of building material has been a challenge for both individuals and businesses who would outsource from other towns, which was costly after factoring transport costs.–@ncubeleon

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