BULAWAYO consumers are slowly warming up to local products, but people are still wary of the quality of most commodities. Chief Reporter
Buy Zimbabwe Campaign business development executive Alois Burutsa on Wednesday told journalists during a tour of several city firms that consumers were alive to the fact that local products were superior.
The Bulawayo campaign was held under the theme “Buy Local – Revive Bulawayo”.
Burutsa said the only way the companies could be revived would be for people to buy local products.
“The notion that Bulawayo is dead is far from being true,” he said.
“Bulawayo is alive and companies are there and producing. From our engagement with various Bulawayo stakeholders and ordinary residents, there was appreciation of the (Buy Zimbabwe) campaign and the Bulawayo community has a totally changed mentality on buying local products.
“Most of those we interacted with said they would never buy imported products. They want to support local industries and that’s a major step.
“Bulawayo is known for buying groceries from Botswana and South Africa and we are saying tell your relative not to send groceries. Instead, they should send money. We need foreign currency here.”
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He said some customers expressed concern about the quality of some local products.
“We are in constant touch with suppliers and retailers and we had a conference recently with them,” Burutsa said.
“We impressed on the need for them to increase local shelve presence for local products.
“The Bulawayo business community supported the campaign and indicated that they were beginning to think that Bulawayo was another country as the campaign was only visible in Harare.
“We are taking the same campaign to Gweru, Masvingo, Mutare and other centres.”
Lobels Bread board member Ephraim Chawoneka said his company had seven retail outlets in Bulawayo.
