Simbisa Brands to invest $10million in Zimbabwe

12 Aug, 2018 - 00:08 0 Views
Simbisa Brands to invest $10million in Zimbabwe Simbisa Brands managing director Mr Warren Meares (centre)

The Sunday News

Simbisa Brands managing director Mr Warren Meares (centre) addresses journalists during a media briefing last week

Simbisa Brands managing director Mr Warren Meares (centre) addresses journalists during a media briefing last week

Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Business Reporter
LISTED leading fast food chain, Simbisa Brands will invest about $10 million in setting-up 22 outlets across the country this year as it forges ahead to consolidate its local market.

Simbisa Brands managing director Mr Warren Meares said the company will open 22 outlets in various places across the country as part of its expansion drive and efforts to consolidate its local market.

“We are exceptionally happy with the business we are doing in Zimbabwe. We will be opening 22 branches. Our first complex is opening in Msasa (Harare) this week (last week). We will have another one opening in Chisipite, Kadoma in the next two-and-a-half months and Gweru in the next eight weeks.

“We are looking at (investing) almost $10 million (into these projects). The future is big for us in Zimbabwe. We truly appreciate the patronage that the Zimbabweans have given us and the support and we will continue to serve the beautiful food that we serve the country,” said Mr Meares.

The Innscor Africa subsidiary operates leading brands namely Chicken Inn, Pizza Inn, Creamy Inn, Baker’s Inn, Fish Inn, Galito’s Africa, Nando’s, Steers and Vida E Caffe and delivery service, Dial-a-Delivery. Mr Meares said the company obtains most of its products locally as part of its efforts to embrace the Buy Zimbabwe concept.

“Every chicken that you buy and every potato that you buy (from our outlets) is home grown in Zimbabwe. The packaging is all local, the oil we get from United Refineries, sadly United Refineries doesn’t have the capacity to supply the quantities that we require so we are importing a bit of that oil but we believe 100 percent in going local,” he said.

Currently the Quick Service Restaurants business has 203 branches in the country and employs more than 3 000 people.

It also has operations across Sub-Saharan Africa with a total of 145 branches in Kenya, Zambia, Ghana, Mauritius, Namibia, Swaziland, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He said the company was also looking at growing its market in the sub-Saharan Africa region by putting up an additional 40 branches in the countries it operates from.

“We have a major plan for growth in Kenya. We are looking at Kenya as a major market where we want to expedite our growth there. Zambia is also another good market but we feel we need to do a lot to grow that market,” said Mr Meares.

He said the company would continuously introduce new products into the market as part of its efforts to stay in touch with the changing needs of consumers.

“We are continuously innovating and looking at new products. We are looking at not just deep fried but healthy rotisserie chicken, salads, a product that is more towards to the kids, that’s healthier for the kids,” said Meares.

@DNsingo

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