Zambia’s agribusiness powerhouse adds new exciting addition to its empire

LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – Zambeef has upped its commitment to delivering the highest international standards in the local food retailing industry with the opening of its new Heroes Macro store in Lusaka.

“We are very excited about our macro retail roll-out in Zambia. We will continue in our pursuit of providing customers with quality products and services in a world-class environment. Our motto is to ensure that our quality products are made available, affordable and accessible to customers at all times and this is what we are doing here today,” said Zambeef joint chief executive officer Francis Grogan.

The Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Michael Katambo officiated at the opening of the Macro on Friday (May 4) and commended Zambeef for achieving yet another significant investment milestone for the country.

“Such kind of investment is what government is promoting because we want the private sector to take the centre stage; this is how you also try and encourage and bring about industrialisation. This is quiet gratifying and as government we are happy and we encourage such kind of investment,” said Hon. Katambo highlighting the importance and potential of the agriculture sector as a driver for economic diversification and transformation.

He further noted that Zambeef’s outgrower schemes and outreach programmes served to empower small-scale farmers in livestock production by engaging them in its value chain. The food company continues to open up new markets for local farmers, both at home and beyond borders, and is excited about the impact for local food producers in the long-term.

“Zambeef is one huge value chain connecting the consumers in urban areas to the farmers in the rural areas of Zambia. As a country and as a company we should be very proud of our achievement because Zambeef is not only feeding the nation, but we are also feeding the region; we have operations in West Africa and we are now accessing a lot of border trade from the DRC through Kasumbalesa, and to Tanzania through our new outlet in Nakonde,” said Mr Grogan.

The new Macro store, located along Great North Road and aptly named after the neighbouring National Heroes Stadium, is the biggest Macro store in the Zambeef empire and is set to quickly become a notable landmark as it is now a part of the skyline when entering the capital city from the Copperbelt.”

Hundreds of customers turned up to take advantage of opening specials on a wide range of products, such as beef, chicken, pork, milk, eggs, dairy products, fish and flour.

Zambeef’s in-house construction, IT and refrigeration teams worked around the clock in the weeks leading up to the opening to ensure all was on schedule. The unique design of the premises, which was built by Zambeef staff, provides a convenient and safe environment for customers to make their purchases coupled with a wide range of Zambeef products, state-of-the-art equipment, spacious parking space, more tills and cashless payment options.

“Having an in-house team has enable Zambeef to build on the skills and expertise of the staff involved as well as the confidence to look at even bigger projects in the future as evidenced by the Heroes Macro. We are pulling all the stops with this one and our goal is to deliver the best in value added purchasing experience for our customers,” noted Mr Grogan.
The opening of the Macro highlights a key strategic focus for Zambeef laid out in 2016 to expand its retailing activities and increase foot traffic in its outlets. The group’s retail presence increased to 195 outlets in 2017 from 171 in 2016. This growth has been driven both by the expansion of the Shoprite retail network in Zambia, Nigeria, Ghana, and the expansion of its own retail network to reflect growing consumer demand. Zambeef has so far opened 23 Macro outlets, making the Heroes Macro store number 24.

Mr Grogan thanked customers for showing up in numbers on the first day saying: “I am very excited and totally overwhelmed by all the support that we have received from the loyal customers over the years.”

He concluded by stating that Zambeef is a proudly Zambian company listed on the Lusaka Stock Exchange enabling anyone to buy shares in the company. He further thanked government for their the continued efforts in promoting Zambian businesses and agribusiness investments as well as its loyal customers for supporting Zambeef, and employees for giving their best to move the company forward.

Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Michael Katambo officially opens the Zambeef Heroes Macro outlet.	Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Michael Katambo officially opens the Zambeef Heroes Macro outlet with Joint Chief Executive Officer Francis Grogan.
Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Michael Katambo and Joint Chief Executive Officer Francis Grogan inspect the new Zambeef Heroes Macro outlet.	Crowds throng to the opening of the new Zambeef Heroes Macro outlet.

About Zambeef Products Plc
Zambeef Products Plc is the largest integrated cold chain food products and agribusiness company in Zambia and one of the largest in the region, involved in the primary production, processing, distribution and retailing of beef, chicken, pork, milk, eggs, dairy products, fish, flour and stockfeed, throughout Zambia and the surrounding region, as well as Nigeria and Ghana.

The Group is also one of the largest cereal row cropping operations in Zambia, with approximately 7,787 hectares of row crops under irrigation which are planted twice a year, and a further 8,694 hectares of rainfed/dry-land crops available for planting each year.

The company slaughters around 78,000 beef cattle, 7.3 million chickens and 60,000 pigs per annum, while also processing 19 million litres of milk, producing 154,000 tons of stockfeed, 69 million eggs, 68,000 pairs of shoes and processes 100,000 hides in its tannery per year.

It has 195 retail outlets throughout Zambia and West Africa.

Zambeef employs over 7,000 people with a total of K357 million paid in remuneration and benefits in the last year.
More information is available at www.zambeefplc.com