BY NKULULEKO SIBANDA IN VICTORIA FALLS
RETAIL giant TM Pick n Pay yesterday officially opened its Victoria Falls branch with hundreds of shoppers jostling to get the first feel of the multi-million-dollar retail outlet.
Officials disclosed the shop takes the tally of outlets operated by TM Pick n Pay to 55 countrywide, while targetting to increase the number of the shops to 60 in the foreseeable future.
The new retail outlet is one of the anchor shops in the new Victoria Falls shopping mall whose construction was financed by ZimRe Properties.
The property company announced last year that it would spend more than $13 million on the shopping mall that is expected to change the face of the resort town.
According to ZimRe, the mall is expected to boost the image of the resort town. The shopping centre is expected to house service providers that are key to Victoria Falls’ value chain such as financial services players and many others.
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In an interview with Southern Eye, Malcom Mycroft, Pick n Pay Zimbabwe managing director said the company was happy its dream of setting up shop in the Victoria Falls had finally come true.
“Pick n Pay (South Africa) has been in partnership with TM Supermarkets for over 30 years now and it has been a very fruitful and successful partnership. We are happy that this is the partnership that has finally given us this magnificent store in Victoria Falls,” Mycroft said.
“It is interesting to note that we have accelerated the expansion in Zimbabwe since 2014 and our main aim is to give the shoppers a feel, look and shopping experience they can cherish. This is the push factor we have as a business and the shops that you see right across Zimbabwe can attest to what we yearn for as a company.”
Mycroft said the Victoria Falls community has been yearning for a modern mall, adding they were eager to meet consumers’ expectations.
“We have had to close the other shop that we were operating before. We are of the view that this spacious offering has a lot more to offer the shoppers. There is a lot of shopping convenience here and there are many products on offer. That is the way we would like to be identified in the shopping sector; standing out above the rest because of the products we offer,” said Mycroft.
He said the expansion drive translates to more employment opportunities for Zimbabweans.
“We will keep investing in Zimbabwe. The market has been good to us and we are very happy with the way the brand has been embraced by the people of Zimbabwe. That will, in the long run enable us to employ more Zimbabweans in our operations. It will also mean that we are able to expand our footprint in the market in Zimbabwe.”