THE BRANCH STARTED TRADING ON 1ST SEPTEMBER 2022 AND THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH WILL BE HELD ON FRIDAY 2ND DECEMBER. MARKING THE LAUNCH WERE PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES SUCH AS A 10% DISCOUNT ON ALL PRODUCTS, KIDS’ ACTIVITIES, FOOD STALLS, DEMONSTRATIONS, GIVEAWAYS, A PALLET OF CEMENT PRIZE AND MORE. LOCATED AT 1848 COVENTRY ROAD, GWERU, THE BRANCH IS THE 11TH STORE IN ZIMBABWE, AND JOINS OTHERS IN HARARE (MSASA, BORROWDALE, WORKINGTON, MAZORODZE),
BULAWAYO, VICTORIA FALLS, MASVINGO, MARONDERA, MUTARE AND KWEKWE.
STRATEGIC LOCATION
The store is strategically located next door to SWIFT- just off the main road, supplying the industrial, DIY and residential markets. The location boasts plenty of secure parking,
access to main road and other retail shops conveniently located in the same complex. Over 20 000 different products are in stock including building, plumbing, hardware, timber, tanks, paint and so much more. “With over 20 000 separate SKU (stock keeping unit) product line items, the mix is targeted for the Gweru market but boasts the quality products that appear in our other stores across the country,” said …Halsteds Builders Express Marketing Manager.
Customers will find all the brands that Halsteds is known for like Bri Taps, Ryobi power tools, PPC, Jojo tanks, Dulux paint, Marley Gutters, ProPlastic piping, Solora and Heiss solar
geysers, Eurolux and Himel Electrical, Flash Harry waterproofing, Solskinn Solar, Topline tools, Addis plasticware, Buffalo steel, Lemaitre and Wayne Safety shoes, Fuchs oils and so many more quality brands in-store. The land was previously the SWIFT depot and has been developed by Unifreight. Land area is 14,856m2 and the gross building area (GBA) is approximately 5,000m2 made up of 1,500m2 of existing structure which was refurbished and 3500m2 of new build.
“The property, owned by Unifreight Limited contained the original Swift Depot and Workshop and was spread across the site occupying more space than required. The condition was fair but due for redevelopment. The property was underutilised, and the strategic location and tenant demand led to the commencement of the project,” said Unifreight Limited. The project architects were Fadzai Mangoma of Nyambuya & Associates, who did a sterling job following the project brief. The architect was tasked with accommodating a multitenanted value retail centre, anchored by Halsted Builders Express and ensuring that the operations of the Swift Depot could still be carried out efficiently and for Swift to
be able to serve the logistics requirements tenants of the development.
Unifreight Limited commented: “The goal was to create a modern, efficient centre where customers benefit from a one-stop shop and tenants benefit from customers being in the vicinity, even if they are there initially to visit one of the other occupiers. The challenge for the architect was to incorporate two existing dated structures and two iconic Zimbabwean companies and their brand identities, and to tie it together into a cohesive centre. The other tenants the architect was expected to accommodate were an agro-retail, a wholesale butchery, a fitment centre, a coffee/food and beverage outlet and a furniture store, a diverse but complementary tenant mix”.
For the key architectural features of the building, Fadzai Mangoma of Nyambuya & Associates went for a functional design. He tried to stay true to the natural materials on the facades – steel, natural brick, Chromadek roof sheeting and on some areas natural plastered finish. He also featured polished concrete floors. This industrial look and feel works very well with the location of the site in Gweru as well as the tenant mix.
Construction phase 1 and 2 took combined time of 7.5 months, with Berrycon Construction (Pvt) Ltd as the main contractors. The engineers were ECE AFRICA P/L, and the project management and quantity surveying were undertaken by Matrix QS.
The suppliers who worked on the project and the materials they supplied were Pile Africa (piling), Homestyle (paving), Agristructures (structural steel, cladding and sheeting), Seamless (plumbers), Delta Electrical (electrical), Bitumen World (car park) and The Garden People (landscaping).
The roofing materials used were steel trusses and Chromadek roof sheets, while the type of wood materials used for the floors is polished concrete floor.
For alternative sources of electricity used at the branch, Halsted’s have a 20Kva PV system and backup batteries and other related accessories. Additionally, there is a generator for the times when the PV is unable to supply sufficient power.
