Choppies wins African award

Markets
CHOPPIES Group of Supermarkets, which has 14 stores in Bulawayo, has scooped the outstanding transformational business award ahead of entrepreneurs from 33 African countries.

CHOPPIES Group of Supermarkets, which has 14 stores in Bulawayo, has scooped the outstanding transformational business award ahead of entrepreneurs from 33 African countries. Own Correspondent

The Botswana Stock Exchange-listed company was recently honoured by the African Leadership Network in this year’s Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship (AAE).

Known as the “Oscars” of entrepreneurs in Africa, the AAE are a prestigious awards programme that identifies four of the leading entrepreneurs in Africa each year.

Over the last seven years, this programme has awarded over $1,8 million in prizes to 35 of the leading entrepreneurs in Africa.

Choppies was competing against companies from 33 countries. Three of these companies, Bidco (Kenya), Aksal (Morocco) and Choppies (Botswana) reached the finals in the category for the outstanding transformational business award.

Choppies was shortlisted in this category for the transformation the organisation has caused in retailing, transforming the lives of rural Batswana, women, people living with disability and a revolutionary change in a number of employee-related matrics.

Choppies also won the people’s choice awards for this category which was conducted by public online voting. Choppies chief executive officer Ramachandran Ottapathu said the award was a stamp of approval on the company’s efforts in giving better value to its customers and the community.

“What we have done in transforming our organisation and our leadership model was much superior to the other businesses that we were competing with,” he said.

“The secret behind this win was ethical leadership, hard work and dedication to the core values.

“We are proud to be the first Botswana-born brand to be a winner at the African Awards for Entrepreneurship.”

Choppies has over 100 supermarkets in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana.

The supermarket chain’s footprint extends to rural locations which have been traditionally under-serviced in the retail sector, taking stores to population centres and maintaining convenient shop hours and affordable prices for the consumer.