Clothing retail giant, Edgars Stores Limited, has closed one of its prominent branches in Bulawayo citing the need to secure an alternative location that suits its brand expectation.
This has come amid pressure from illegal forex dealers and vendors.
Popularly known as ‘Edgars Tredgold’ due to its proximity to the Tredgold Building, which houses the Magistrates Court, the closed branch was situated at the corner of Herbert Chitepo Street and Leopold Takawira Avenue in the city centre, which is now a hive of activity for vendors and illegal forex dealers.
Edgars southern region operations manager, Thulani Ncube, said the company was targeting up-market customers who need shopping convenience hence the location of the closed outlet was no longer suitable for their customers.
“We have officially closed the branch, we won’t be using that place anymore because there is now an influx of illegal forex traders and vendors outside the store and it was no longer aligning with the expectations of our brand,” he said.
“Edgars is an upmarket brand, so our customers are people who would love shopping convenience in terms of parking space and ambiance outside and inside the shop and minimal interactions when doing their shopping.”
Edgars Stores Ltd retails clothing, footwear, textiles, and accessories in Zimbabwe.
The company also manufactures and sells a range of denim, as well as ladies’, children’s, and gents’ casual wear to other retailers.
The company has classified its products and services into six operating segments namely Retailing, Edgars, Jet, Manufacturing, Micro Finance, and Financial Services.
The majority of the revenue is generated from the retail sales of its products.
Its operations are spread across Zimbabwe.
Founded by Sydney Press, Edgars Stores first opened its doors in 1946, and was registered as a company in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) in November 1948.
The first Board Meeting was held on 18 January 1949.
Chronicle/ Zwnews
