The Year Of The Choppies Juggernaut

Mohamed Osman. PIC:KENNEDY RAMOKONE
Mohamed Osman. PIC:KENNEDY RAMOKONE

From Lobatse, Botswana to the Johannesburg Stock exchange, right through to one of the biggest markets in East Africa, the Choppies juggernaut bulldosed its way over the sub continent in 2015, to cement its rising tag as a pan African retail giant.

Reflecting on the year, Choppies director Ram Ottapathu singled out the listing in the Johannesburg Stock Exchange as a milestone moment for Choppies, although the process also required him and fellow directors to shed off significant chunk of their shareholding to meet the minimum required to float in the JSE. “It’s not that I wanted to, I was forced to sell, but I’m still the biggest shareholder and I have got no intention to step down”, says the man famously known as Ram.

South Africa became Choppies’ target for market expansion in the same period as the Botswana company took their tally of stores in the country to 40, adding 12 new stores in the Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Free State, and the North West Provinces.

Editor's Comment
A promising step for public schools, but...

For too long, the state of many public schools has been a source of shame. We have all seen the pictures and heard the stories of broken windows, unreliable water and electricity, topped by classrooms that are not fit for proper learning. The establishment of the Education Infrastructure and Management Company Ltd (EIMC) signals that authorities are finally ready to take this problem seriously. We must commend the government for this initiative....

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