Sun International’s GrandWest property in Cape Town opened an onsite Spaza Store at the end of March. The initiative gives staff convenient access to buy essential items while also supporting entrepreneurship through National Pride Trading.
National Pride Trading works with communities to support small businesses. They have four other retail shops and are contracted to Intersite, Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) and Metrorail, for undertaking general maintenance. They also supply goods to the Correctional Services at Pollsmoor and Goodwood Prisons.
In this instance, GrandWest set up the shop with fridges, freezers and shelving, and extended a R100 000 loan to National Pride Trading from their Enterprise and Supply Development Programme. The owners of National Pride Trading, Sango and Lindiwe Bam, will use the loan for working capital and to stock the shop.
GrandWest has committed to provide additional business support over the next three years, which will include a waiver on rent, metered utility costs, operational costs, marketing and communications. It will also provide the retailers with business coaching from GrandWest’s service providers, Business Doctors Western Cape.
