Zimbabwe’s “pre-eminent hardware provider”, Electrosales, with headquarters in Graniteside, Harare, recently moved and upgraded its store in Msasa.
The store:
The bigger store continues with Electrosales’ vibrant and cutting-edge approach to building and home improvement solutions for domestic, contracting and industrial customers. Whether individuals or companies in the Msasa area need bulk supplies, or just a couple of tins of paint, the bigger branch has it all.
The branch’s product range covers over 11,000 lines including paint, plumbing, electrical, building, power tools, outdoor, gardening, automotive, gas equipment and solar products. For decades, Electrosales has continuously developed and evolved, but the concept and spirit of their business remain largely unchanged.
Uncompromising integrity and professionalism have been the cornerstones of the business. In all that they do, they support and uphold a set of core values and principles.
The company is predominately driven by delivering great service, quality and ultimate value. The bigger store will further boost the industrial growth in Harare East which many established businesses in manufacturing and distribution already call home.
This trend will see the Msasa business sector, maintaining its strong image as one of the largest and most important industrial areas in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Design and project management phase:
Designs for the structure were done by Civstruct Consulting Engineers, a registered engineering company. The firm was also the project manager, ensuring the timely delivery of the project to the client.
They understand that a building design process is a systematic approach to creating a building that meets the needs of the client and complies with all applicable codes and regulations.
Hence, they professionally went through all the stages including preliminary planning, schematic design, design development construction documentation, bidding and negotiation, and overseeing the construction process. Though the building design and management process was complex and time-consuming, Civstruct Consulting Engineers didn’t compromise its delivery standard, to ensure that the building is safe, functional, and aesthetically pleasing.
The construction phase:
Hawklay Investments was the contractor on a project that took 4 months to complete on a 6000 square metre
plot with a built area of 2700 square meters. The plot was a stand with no structure, making it easy to immediately commence work on site.
The subcontractor list included Songie Steelworks who did steelwork installation (Supplied by Span Africa) and façade steel supplied by Essar Tubes and Towers (Installed by Songie), Kotza Aluminium and Glasses (aluminium and glass), and Global Pavers (paving). Concrete and steelworks were some of the special materials used in the project.
For the specialised foundations, the contractor used piles that were drilled by Essar Tubes and Towers and the type of floor finish for the store is a power float slab.
The cladding consisted of tile cladding and the front feature structure was constructed from steelwork, ultimately rendering the entire process trustworthy and the structure safe and durable.
Customers driving to the Msasa store will find ample parking available in the 1500 sqm parking lot. Carrying out construction work during the rainy season saw the contractor dealing with rain, especially on drain construction. The solution was the utilisation of pumps to draw both underground and surface water. Anticipation is high that Msasa’s infrastructural development profile will rise due to the presence of Electrosales, the well-established hardware retail group with 22 stores nationwide and over 1200 employees.
Suppliers List
Civstruct Consulting Engineers
Hawklay Investments
Esor Construction
Gyson Steel
Kotza Aluminium and Glass Homestyle Bricks
Hawklay Investments
ICC Paints
Essar tubes and Towers Span Africa
Fourways Concrete
Halsteds
Makanaka Fire preventionThe future of the industrial area is therefore bright. Especially with the area’s well-connected network to the rest of Harare.
Text by Martin Chemhere
Images by Fotohaus
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