Queensburgh shoppers excited about new grocery store
Various stakeholders played a huge role in the project which took 24 months to complete.
NORTHDENE was abuzz on Thursday morning, June 22, as shoppers flocked to the opening of the brand new Checkers store on Main Road, next to the service station.
The store boasts a meat market with free range chicken and restaurant-quality steak, fish shop, hot and cold foods deli, bakery with artisan bread, fresh fruit and vegetables, wine section, money market, sushi bar, coffee bar and, of course, fully stocked shelves with loads of Checkers xtra savings specials.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 22, Riaz Cotwal, divisional manager for Checkers KwaZulu-Natal, said he was proud of the finished product and looked forward to welcoming customers from the Queensburgh area to the new 3 000 square meter store.
“There are a lot of people to thank who made the new Checkers a success. A project of this nature is a team effort. Queensburgh now has a new model Checkers to shop at with a similar range to the Malvern store, which has been under construction for some time due to the new shopping mall being built,” said Cotwal.
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Following his address to staff and shoppers who were eagerly waiting to start their shopping, Cotwal handed over a R5 000 cheque from Checkers to Northdene Primary School.
“Giving back to the community and community upliftment is also important to Checkers which is why we chose Northdene Primary as a beneficiary,” he said.
Store manager Ronnie Persadh, who joined Checkers in 1988 as a parcel counter attendant, welcomed shoppers with a smile as they dashed through the doors. Speaking to Queensburgh News, he said he was excited about the opening of the new store and to be at the helm of such a phenomenal team.
“My team and I are also thrilled to meet all our new customers from the area. Customers are guaranteed freshness, top quality products, customer service with a smile and a great shopping experience. We welcome our Queensburgh customers and look forward to building a rapport with you,” he said.
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Northdene Primary School principal Ayesha Bibi Khan said she was extremely grateful to Checkers for their hearty donation.
“On behalf of the school’s management and School Governing Body, staff and learners, we thank Checkers for recognising our school and for their gracious donation. The donation will go towards our ongoing journey of providing our learners with quality education. This donation will make a positive impact in our learner’s lives,” said Khan.
Two happy shoppers Mabongi Maphanga and Tholo Mbotho, who work in Northdene, said the opening of the new store was a great convenience for them as they no longer had to travel into Malvern to shop for groceries.
“The location of the store is ideal because it is next to the taxi stop. We can shop here before we go home instead of having to take a taxi into Malvern and then another taxi home,” said Maphanga.
“Before this, there was no grocery store nearby so I would purchase bread and cooldrinks from the convenience store which is so expensive. At least I can now grab my daily groceries from Checkers,” said Mbotho.
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