Pick n Pay spreads to Gweru

Published: 21 July 2014

ONE of the country's biggest retail chain groups, TM Supermarket, is set to close its Gweru Branch supermarket and reopen at another site under the Pick n Pay brand in the city.

Pick n Pay, a South Africa-based retail giant, will open its doors in October at the corner of Robert Mugabe Way and Fifth Street, formerly Meikles Departmental Store in the city's Central Business District.

The South African supermarket chain and Meikles Limited have shareholding in TM Supermarket with the latter having a 51 percent controlling stake while the South Africans own 49 percent.

As part of the arrangement, TM Supermarkets will be rebranded to Pick n Pay.

Refurbishment of the shop is in progress and is expected to be completed by the end of August.

TM Supermarket projects planning and development general manager, Lameck Kunjeku, said the retail chain group management would be meeting its Pick n Pay counterparts from South Africa this week to finalise on the opening of the new branch.

"I can confirm that TM will relocate and reopen its doors using the Pick n Pay brand. Refurbishment of the proposed supermarket is going well and if all goes according to plan the exercise should be completed by the end of August.

"We expect furnishing of the supermarket to take between two to three weeks and then the supermarket will open its doors to the public. However, let me hasten to say that TM management will meet its Pick n Pay counterparts from South Africa this week to thrash out issues such as the exact date on the opening of the shop and other issues," he said.

Kunjeku said the present TM Supermarket would be leased to other players.

Employees of TM Supermarket at the Gweru branch will be absorbed by Pick n Pay.

Pick n Pay is the second largest retail chain group in South Africa after Shoprite and in recent years has spread its tentacles into the region.

The retailer now has supermarkets in Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi and most recently Zimbabwe, among other Sadc countries.

Pick n Pay's envisaged opening might have shaken other players in the market, among them the country's biggest retailer OK Zimbabwe.

OK Zimbabwe has embarked on a hastily arranged refurbishment exercise of its Gweru branch.

The retailer last week was ordered to shut its doors to the public after Gweru City Council accused the supermarket of circumventing council procedures.

However, the retailer reopened its doors on Saturday.

Efforts to get a comment from Gweru City Council were fruitless as the assistant town clerk in charge of media, Tapiwa Marerwa, said he was locked in meetings yesterday.
- Lovemore Zigara and Timothy Makhohliso I chronicle