Mpeshe Selebalo
MASERU — Shoppers in Maseru will soon be spoilt for choice.
In fact, the capital could soon be transformed into a shopper’s paradise, a new Mecca for hordes of enthusiastic shoppers.
Sam Mphana and Andre Beukes, who are behind the Pick ’n Pay project, told a press conference last Friday that the shop will be world-class.
Pick ’n Pay, situated at the Pioneer Mall, will open its doors to customers on November 25.
Mphana is a former area manager for Lesotho Sun while Beukes is a mechanical engineer.
He currently runs Bensons Butchery in Maseru.
The supermarket will have a butchery, bakery and general merchandise under the same roof.
Mphana said the new supermarket will just be like any other Pick ‘n Pay shop in neighbouring South Africa.
“I am passionate about empowerment; this is why I am affiliated with the Pick ‘n Pay brand,” Mphana said.
“The community in Maseru deserved and have earned a good marketing brand. This has been evident from the surveys which we undertook and found that there was a gap for another big supermarket in Maseru.”
Beukes said he was grateful for the support and training they had received from the Pick ‘n Pay team in South Africa.
“I am a firm believer in business ethics and respect to all parties involved in the business. Our current success is based on these values.
“Our vision is to become the most recognised retail outlet in Lesotho,” Beukes said.
At least 80 workers will be employed by the supermarket.
Pick ‘n Pay director of emerging markets in Africa, Frans Van Der Colff, said the company was committed to empowering the local people.
“We want to live and work within the communities in which we operate in.
“We are actively involved in empowering people by offering franchising opportunities and we will support the charities around once we are in operation,” Colff said.
He said they had already started a process to identify local small-scale farmers who can supply them with fresh farm produce.
He said recent surveys had shown that Pick ‘n Pay outlets were the cheapest as compared to their major competitors in countries such as Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and Swaziland.
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