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Long Cheng Plaza

 Monica Cheru-Mpambawashe Lifestyle Editor
The Chinese New Year is a time to set the tone for prosperity and good luck in the coming months. What better way to do that than with retail therapy, Chinese style?

In keeping with that theme this week The Saturday Herald Lifestyle takes you to Long Cheng Plaza.

Restaurants, bars and a park for kids in a place with all the parking that you desire make shopping at the plaza an excursion, not just another trip to the shops. Undoubtedly there are many attractions at the mall which combines edgy modernity and a relaxed suburbia ambience.

But there is no argument that the magnet for the dedicated and forced shopper is Ivato, a place where you can get everything, well almost, seeing as they do not stock vehicles.

General manager Hanson Hu says the hypermarket is all about debunking the myth that Chinese produced goods spell substandard and to bring the ultimate shopping experience to your doorstep, no passport and air tickets needed.

“Visiting us is just like going to China because our goods are affordable and we have a wide range of products. Our target is to provide good quality and competitively priced goods in Zimbabwe. We want to meet Zimbabwe’s needs and also improve the quality not just of products but life in Zimbabwe.

“We are leaders in the retail market because we import new products from China — quality brands not heard of previously in this country. Once you try them — you will realise that they are not only genuine but are the best by far,” he brags.

At 16 000 square metres, Ivato Supermarket, is the biggest supermarket in the country. The nearest competitors offering goods in the same range are OK Mart in Hillside and Pick ‘n’ Pay Kamfinsa which also have decent floor space and stock ranges but are nowhere near the sheer size and volume of Ivato.

Like every other supermarket worth its name, Ivato offers fresh produce,beverages, the usual dry good, hardware section and in addition has a wholesale section. That in itself is nothing unusual. It is the range of products offered sets Ivato apart as they aim to make sure that the shopper literally gets it all under one roof.

The manager said they source goods locally then go outside if they find no joy.

“What we cannot find locally, we import from whichever part of the world it is manufactured. All this we do for your convenience and we keep our prices as low as possible — we are not driven by greed but by a desire to satisfy our customers, said Mr Hu.

The hardware shop is bigger than some outlets that specialise in that field as it covers half of the humongous hypermarket. There is everything from office and home furniture, lights, bathroom products, hardware tools, machinery including heavy duty equipment, decoration accessories and generators.

The fresh produce section is an educational experience for most as it offers some never-seen before exotic items. The fresh look is not incidental, the supermarket claims.

“We have our own garden, which produces more than 40 types of vegetables. Our garden is chemical free as we use only organic fertiliser. We are a health conscious organisation and we ensure that nothing poses short-term or long-term health risks to our customers.

“When you buy from us — you are certain that you are not buying anything that will backfire on your health tomorrow, but something that actually builds and strengthens your body and mind,” asserted Mr Hu.

The wholesale department stocks over 80 000 product lines, 60 percent of the products are oils, drinks and cosmetics while 40 percent are other products for daily use. As if this is not stupendous enough, the management is not resting in their endeavour to keep on expanding the choice base:

“We are already working on an expansion of this department to make Ivato even bigger with more products,” Mr Hu says.

He dismissed allegations that the supermarket has not created local employment after importing all labour from China.

“Contrary to what has been said that we bring everything including labour from China — we employ 220 Zimbabweans here and we offer them very competitive salaries. Only 10 Chinese people work here.”

If you are planning a home makeover, starting anew or just making a few additions, place Ivato on your shopping venue list.

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