Situated in Zambia's second largest mall, the Levy regional shopping centre, the 4000m² store will sell in excess of 20,000 lines ranging from fresh produce, clothing, home-ware and liquor. The store has created employment opportunities for a further 150 Zambians.
"The southern African region represents an increasingly attractive market for us," said Pick n Pay head of group enterprises Dallas Langman. "As disposable income continues to grow, the region's retail potential remains largely untapped and there is considerable opportunity for foreign investors who are willing to enter intro constructive partnerships with local communities, suppliers and government agencies," Langman said.
"The incredible success of our first two stores and the enthusiasm with which it has been welcomed by our customers, has exceeded our expectations and has fully vindicated our decision to expand our presence in Zambia rapidly in coming months," he said.
Pick n Pay opened its first store in Lusaka in July 2010 and its second store in Ndola in March 2011. The company announced that it would open a fourth store in Makeni, Zambia on 1 December 2011.
"Investment in African talent, the growth of our employees and skills development is a crucial part of our expansion strategy and it has been gratifying to be a part of job creation and socio-economic development in Zambia," Langman said.
"At least 65% of our stock is locally sourced while 70% of fresh produce is provided by Zambian suppliers."
Pick n Pay has a total of 230 local suppliers in Zambia which include agencies which supply imported products to the company's stores. The company has a total of 10 100 grocery lines listed in its Zambian stores, of which 6700 products are derived from local suppliers. The range includes canned vegetable products, coffee, legumes, an organic range of sauces as well as processed meats.
"It has been very satisfying to be able to source much of our produce from local suppliers, particularly small scale farmers who have proved themselves more than capable of providing foodstuffs at a price and of a quality demanded by Pick n Pay's customers," he continued.
The opening of the third Zambian store follows the launch of the group's entry into Mauritius two months ago. Pick n Pay also conducts retail operations in Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Mozambique. "We are set to continue along this expansion path in a planned and deliberate way," Langman added.
