Zambeef Products’ Zamleather division meets with South African suppliers

LUSAKA, ZAMBIA – Zambeef Product’s Zamshu brand has vowed to step up its footwear production operations in a bid to keep pace with competition across the Southern Africa region.

The company, which makes the Kaleza Z-12 leather soccer boot, as well as its popular Little Bwana school shoes, and safety boots, has been inspired by the market opportunities to provide substitutes for imported products within Zambia following a visit to Lusaka last week by members of the South African Footwear and Leather Export Council (SAFLEC).

The company already exports leather and shoes to Zimbabwe and recently developed a range of finished leathers for a South African footwear manufacturer, which it started exporting to Cape Town last month.

But the exhibition by manufacturers of shoes and components has encouraged Zamleather – which makes the Zamshu branded footwear – to explore further the possibilities for exporting Zambian-made shoes to countries elsewhere in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and farther afield.

“By working with our colleagues elsewhere in the region – particularly in South Africa – we can add value to our products in Zambia by sourcing duty-free components such as labels, laminates and soles,” explained Zamleather General Manager Richard Franklin.

There are also possibilities to take advantage of knowledge transfer and train Zambian staff in South Africa, helping to bolster the industry and generate further employment here, he added.

SAFLEX board member Dave Bromfield said: “In South Africa we don’t even think about import substitution, we have learned to be competitive, and with SADC everything is opening up. Zambia should be, and must be, part of that market, but it needs capital investment and people investment.”

South Africa exported 702,201 pairs of shoes, worth ZAR56.5 million (K32 million) to Zambia in 2013, making Zambia the second largest export market for South Africa footwear after Zimbabwe. South Africa’s total shoes exports worldwide amounted to 3.2 million pairs worth ZAR314.5 million (K176 million) last year, up 18.3 percent compared with the previous year.

About Zambeef Products Plc
Zambeef Products Plc is the largest integrated agribusinesses in Zambia.

The group is principally involved in the production, processing, distribution and retailing of beef, chicken, pork, milk, dairy products, eggs, edible oils, stock feed and flour. The group also has large row cropping operations (principally maize, soya beans and wheat), with approximately 8,350 hectares of row crops under irrigation and 17,000 hectares of rain-fed/dry-land crops available for planting each year. The group is also in the process of rolling out its West Africa expansion in Nigeria and Ghana, as well as developing a palm project in Zambia.

It slaughters more than 80,000 beef cattle and 6 million chickens, and processes 8 million litres of milk per year. The company has 122 retail outlets throughout the country, along with three wholesale depots.

More information is available at www.zambeefplc.com