The face of spaza shops in Alexandra will never be the same again. This is thanks to the ingenious concept of one marketer who specialises in building brands and hopes to transform these traditional corner shops in the townships and rural areas into a mighty business empire.
Mxolisi ‘G’ Buthelezi is the mastermind of the rebranding of the spaza shops countrywide. His aim is to harness their buying power through the network of Khona La Local Stores which will build a network of warehouses countrywide that will house the stock for the branded spaza shops to make delivery of stock easy and timeously.
Speaking at the official unveiling of the pioneering spaza shop at 3480 Onica Mashigo Street in Far Eastbank’s Phase 2, Alexandra, known now as Khona La (right here) Local Stores on 30 October, Buthelezi said this was the first of many branded spazas in the country.
“I started in Alexandra as I have a special place in my heart for this iconic township as a son of the soil of Alex, and we are still going to brand nine more before we roll out the concept to other townships in Johannesburg and eventually other provinces and rural areas as well.
“Owners of the spazas join the new network and we then rebrand their shops which remain their sole property but enjoy the power of bulk buying in order to obtain good deals from manufacturers in terms of lowered prices, to make them more price-competitive in the retail industry in the same way as other big-name stores,” Buthelezi said.
“The unique initiative brings quality and competitive products and services that you normally find at major superstores in the city to the township, and aims at fundamentally transforming the township and rural retail market by creating eco-systems that empower and benefit local store owners, entrepreneurs, the youth, and the society at large.”
He added that the branded network of spaza shops would open opportunities for the youth to get skills, open their own stores, and find employment in the network of warehouses across the length and breadth of the country.
The youth will also be trained in various skills that will make them marketable in the job market while the owners of the stores will be skilled in a range of business administration, management, financial and merchandising skills.
“Our aim is to support small and informal businesses, unemployed youth and aspiring entrepreneurs. We educate entrepreneurs ineffective small business management skills, instil professionalism in their operations and provide direction on small business legalities, share financial management skills, and encourage small business marketing.”
Joshua Moyana, a shopkeeper of a newly branded spaza, praised the new initiative which he said would make it worthwhile for people to own and run their spaza shops.
“One of the biggest nightmares of a spaza owner is the turnaround time once an order has been placed as the manufacturers will give priority to the big guys who buy in millions of rands as opposed to a person that places an order of a couple of hundred rands,” Moyana said.
Related article:
