Edgars forges ahead with its no-frills Express Stores concept in Zimbabwe

An Express Store opened in Hogerty Hill in Harare this week, with several more planned before the end of the year. 

As the country’s middle class shrinks and an increasing number of people opt to buy second-hand clothes, often imported, from informal traders, the modern trade clothing stores such as Edgars and Truworths have been struggling.  

Edgars sees the Express Stores concept, which is no-frills and cash-only, as meeting a market need for low-cost good-quality clothing selling for between US$1 and US$10. Some of the outlets will be mobile stores or in containers to keep prices down. 

The supply chain is being localised within Zimbabwe, with products manufactured in Bulawayo at the company’s Carousel plant. According to a report in NewsDay newspaper, the facility is being retooled to increase production volumes from 45,000 to 100,000 units per month. 

More competitive in local and regional markets 

“This is expected to reduce production costs and make Edgars’ merchandise more competitive in both local and regional markets,” NewsDay says. 

Edgars Group CEO, Sevious Mushosho, is already on record as saying the group intends to export clothes made at the Carousel plant into South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya and Tanzania. 

Zimbabwean economist Chenayimoyo Mutambasere, in an interview with NewsDay, said the shrinking middle class in Zimbabwe made it harder for businesses like Edgars to thrive.  

“The middle class, which typically drives demand in retail, is often caught between high-end markets and lower-income segments dominated by second-hand goods,” she is quoted as saying. 

“Without this income group, Edgars may struggle to gain traction even with its lower-cost stores. Zimbabwe’s economic challenges, including drought and rising fuel costs, continue to squeeze household incomes, leaving little disposable income for non-essential goods like clothing and accessories.” 

Edgars Stores Limited, which is currently listed on the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange, previously operated the Express Mart brand in Zimbabwe between 1984-2011, when it was rebranded as Jet Stores.