•STATE House deputy Minister Mulenga Sata makes a pruchase at a Zambeef counter in a Shoprite store.

By MICHELO HIMAAMBO –
Shoprite Holdings is the largest fast moving consumer goods retail operation on the African continent.
Its chain of outlets under the Shoprite Checkers brand, which is Zambia’s number one retailer, is this year celebrating its 20th Anniversary from the time it entered the Zambian marketing by opening its first outlet on Cairo road in Lusaka on 26th October, 1995.
At the moment, Shoprite is the largest supermarket chain in the country.
It has grown from a single outlet on Cairo road in Lusaka to a network that covers Manda Hill, Chilenje, Matero and the megasave outlet on Kafue road in Lusaka alone; Chingola; Chipata; Kitwe; Kabwe; Kasama; Mongu; Livingstone; Luanshya; Mansa; Mazabuka; Mufulira; Ndola and Solwezi across all the ten provinces of the country.
It employs almost 3,000 people and sources 78 per cent of its fruit and vegetable supplies from local farmers.
Zambia has become one of Shoprite’s largest businesses outside of South Africa, and most Zambians have attained a culture of shopping from the outlets of the supermarket chain as they believe it is the cheapest source of a variety of products, like groceries.
Prior to 1999, Shoprite was only able to source produce from 20 different local farmers. But the supermarket increased the number of local farmers supplying products, and although there are still some challenges around issues of procurement and food safety, Shoprite today has 81 different local farmers who supply agriculture products.
In order to assist emerging farmers, Shoprite has invested heavily in food safety training. The supermarket chain also has planning and growing programmes in place, in order to assist farmers to produce fruits and vegetable supplies all year round.
To this end, there have been some remarkable successes for Shoprite.
Most notable are the local potato growers who set up state-of-the-art storage facilities to extend the supply season of their produce. This means as from 2015, potato growers have been able to supply Shoprite with 7 million Kilograms of potatoes per year – even during the rainy season when production is usually a challenge.
Speaking in an interview recently, Shoprite General Manager Charles Bota saidys one of the greatest achievements the supermarket chain has received in its 20 years of business is the creation of more than 5,000 jobs for people across the country in Shoprite’s 26 supermarkets which handle more than 750,000 customers every week.
“90 per cent of our products were imported but now we are proud to say Shoprite has finally partnered with Zambian companies like Zambeef, National Milling, Trade Kings and many farms amounting to 81.
“Our business is built on a promise of lower prices and for us, it has been a privilege being able to bring Shoprite’s world class shopping experience to the people of Zambia,” he said.
Mr Bota said most of the vegetables and fruits that Shoprite stocks were locally produced except for exhorted ones that do not grow in Zambia.
“In honour of Shoprite’s 20th Anniversary in Zambia, the supermarket chain is running one of the country’s biggest competitions ever for over a period of ten weeks. The brand will be giving away 20 brand new Renault cars!” Mr Bota said.
The competition will run from 22nd October, 2015, to 31st December, 2015.
Consumers will have to enter the competition at any Shoprite store during this period by writing their personal details on the back of their till slip, and dropping it into the entry box. There is no minimum requirement that one needs to spend to be eligible for the competition and there is no limit on the number of entries one can make.
Shoprite Cairo road customer Mary Mulenga said, “I would like to pay tribute to Shoprite for the value addition it has brought to supermarket business in Zambia for 20 years now and for what it’s still bringing and is yet to bring”.
What many members of the public may wish to know is that besides value addition, Shoprite has continued to employ farmers by buying grain, vegetables and meat from them and it is the reason Zambeef has continued to grow.
Supplying Shoprite is also the reason a lot of suppliers, like Zambia Sugar and several agro-processing firms, have managed to thrive.
Shoprite has had its own challenges over the years, like the outbreak of an inferno which reduced the Cairo Road outlet to cider, as well as workers going on strike.
But the supermarket chain has raised above all those challenges to continue expanding into new areas across the country.