CHOPPIES BOTSWANA – Keeping You Safe, Secure and Well-Stocked

Choppies is one of the leading supermarket chains in Africa, a supermarket retail offering which includes leading international food brands and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) products, as well as Choppies’ own private label for value-minded consumers. The Choppies story dates back nearly 35 years, and its journey to a Botswana FCMG mainstay has been riddled with expansion, celebration and innovation. “In 1986, Choppies commenced its operations with a single store in Botswana,” the company sets out.

“Over the past 34 years, Choppies has grown as a home brand in Botswana and spread its wings into seven other African nations and has become a significant retailer represented in the sub-Saharan African market.”

EXPANDING RANGE AND REACH

For seven years the Wayside supermarket remained Choppies’s only location, but this all changed in 1993 with the opening of a second store, still in Lobatse. This catalysed one of the most important epochs in the Choppies story, bringing about a great expansion drive and numerous new stores opened in the greater Gaborone periphery as well as to more populated geographical areas of Botswana.       

Amidst its many landmark events, the company lists the 2014 opening of a distribution Centre in Zimbabwe as chief among them. “Our foresight is to grow into East Africa, with emphasis in Tanzania and Kenya,” the company expands. “Choppies believes in potential of the African market hence the continued growth.”

Choppies also added a clothing brand to its armoury in 2016, a proudly local line decking the whole family out in glamorous, value-driven garments. “Everyday clothing for everyday people,” is how Choppies summarises its no-nonsense fashion offering.

“Our vision is to be a strong responsive provider of consumer goods at affordable prices,” Choppies summarises. “We strive to give customers the best value for their money, and to bring products to semi-urban and rural areas. We generate sustainable economic development by supporting local businesses and farmers and core value creation in the society,” the company continues of its economic focus.

“Creating new jobs and developing all employees to their highest potential to ensure proper skills transfer to the local workforce is also crucial for us.”

Choppies has a wide variety of shops to fulfil every possible need, a significant slice of comfort in these most trying of times. Choppies Valuestores have fewer service offerings and crop up primarily in rural areas with low levels of formal retail, with a target market of those consumers in lower income brackets.

Superstores are larger prospects with a full supermarket offering encompassing bakery, deli, fresh produce and financial services, and can house as many as 22,000 products. It is this model that Choppies plans to bring to the rest of Africa as part of its ambitious expansion intentions, such has been its success in Botswana.

In some cases nearly triple the size of a Superstore, the Hyper variant is by far the largest and most well-stocked of the Choppies trio. The spacious layouts are found out often in urban and peri-urban areas, geared toward more affluent consumers who are looking for greater variety in their grocery experience.

REACTING TO COVID-19

It is impossible to predict how the spread of coronavirus will impact upon human movements and liberty of choice, which makes the abundance and variety of Choppies stores more key than ever. No matter the size or type of store, common across everything that Choppies operates is a guarantee of the best and freshest produce available at the right price. Clearly, this takes on a new importance as the first cases of coronavirus are confirmed in Botswana.

Increasingly robust measures are being rolled out across Africa to halt the spread of COVID-19, and supermarkets are becoming some of the sole and key providers to keep citizens fed, healthy and secure.

Botswana had, on March 24th, already moved to secure its borders after neighbouring Zimbabwe recorded its first coronavirus-related death. “The movement of people visiting neighbouring countries including Lesotho and Swaziland is restricted,” Botswana’s Vice President Slumber Tsogwane announced in an address to the nation on state television. 

The food-retail sector is inarguably one of the pivotal industries in these uncertain times, with a critical role to play as events rapidly evolve and change. Food retailers must serve as reliable sources of food and essential items for people across communities worldwide, and it is vital that this is performed with the protection of customers and employees as the primary concern.

An environment that fosters social distancing or isolation is crucial, while frontline hygiene has to be at its highest level with human contact limited as much as possible. Food retailers have no choice but to keep the lights on: stores and distribution centres must stay open, employees must continue to work, home deliveries must be made and customers must be served.

The virus is also bringing with it unprecedented spikes and declines in demand. Some retailers are seeing an 800% increase in over-the-counter cold and flu medicine sales, and sales for players such as convenience stores are drastically down, while others, like e-commerce businesses, cannot keep apace with demand.

CRITICAL SOLUTIONS

Choppies has frequently demonstrated how seriously it takes its social responsibility. At home in Botswana it has partnered with Virgin Active Gaborone to organise a Wellness Day for staff members, and together with the Lady Khama Charitable Trust Fund, Choppies donated BWP 1.2 million in groceries to border patrol soldiers and nurses working over the Christmas holidays.

This benevolence has extended into South Africa with hampers donated to various causes, including Women Against Rape and a children’s community centre, and into Zambia in the form of support to Njovu Community Centre in Chibolya province, which provides education activities and sponsorship for over 200 troubled youths.

Choppies is now leading the way in doing everything in its power to reduce the impact of COVID-19 in its stores. “Choppies would like to inform our valued customers that we are introducing social distancing at our till points to curb the potential spread of the COVID-19 virus,” the company announced, long before the first case was even confirmed in Botswana.

“Our staff has been issued with clear guidance on how the COVID-19 outbreak may impact them, and the measures they can take to limit the spread of the virus.”

Choppies on 26th March 2020 donated 100,000 litres of water, 10 tonnes of toilet papers and toiletries such as bath soaps, toothbrush and tooth paste to the collective cause. The company also donated 20,000 face masks through a Chinese firm. With extended opening hours and low-price guarantee on critical supplies, Choppies is doing all it can to lead consumers through the pandemic and enter into a new era of African dominance.