Mphoko Claims He Transformed Choppies Into A Profitable Business In Four Years
Siqokoqela Mphoko, the son of the late former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko, claimed that his family turned around Raj Modi’s unprofitable shops and expanded them to 35 outlets in four years.
Raj Modi, a Member of Parliament for Bulawayo South constituency and Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, recently took over control of Choppies Zimbabwe through his retail chain, Sai Mart.
The takeover of Choppies Zimbabwe outlets by Modi followed Choppies Enterprises Limited’s announcement to exit the Zimbabwean market.
When Choppies announced its plans to sell its Zimbabwean operations on November 29, 2024, it had 30 grocery stores nationwide under its subsidiary, Nanavac (Pty) Ltd, trading as Choppies Zimbabwe4.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Mphoko, who Mphoko, has been involved in legal disputes with Choppies over shareholding issues, claimed that the retail chain collapsed after he left in 2019. He said:
You can try and re-write Choppies history in Zimbabwe. You can never take away what I did at Choppies even if you tried. Modi sold his assets to us in 2013. We took over his very unprofitable shops. Grew them to 35 in 4 years. I left in 2019. It failed to hold, it collapsed.
Choppies entered the Zimbabwean market in 2013 by acquiring several Spar outlets. It expanded further in 2014 by establishing a distribution centre to enhance its supply chain.
Meanwhile, Choppies Zimbabwe, recently officially announced the transfer of its operations to Sai Mart, effective January 1.
Modi, who has been operating six branches in Bulawayo, took over Choppies’ operations across the country.
In a statement, Choppies assured stakeholders that the transition would be seamless, with no job losses for employees.
More: Pindula News
