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Livingstone Marufu Business Reporter
Slice Distributors is planning to go regional before year end as competition on fast foods business intensifies.

This comes after various fast foods outlets have sprouted in the country over the past five months, prompting the firm to go regional, in the process, spreading risk and earn foreign currency.

At an official reopening of Seventh Street/Samora Machel branch on Saturday, Slice Distributors chief executive Tawanda Mutyebere, told the gathering that the company is moving to regional countries to test new environment after doing superbly locally.

“We are the second largest fast food business operator here in Zimbabwe and we are moving towards being the best.

“At the moment we have 12 branches and very soon we are opening new branches with drive-throughs.

“I am sure there is no sky up there, it’s only blue, there is no limit. We are planning to cross borders, we are planning to open outside Zimbabwe.

“We have started already, I’m very sure that by the end of the year we should be opening something around these countries, said Mr Mutyebere.

The company is refurbishing all of its branches to look new and different from those of competitors.

After the Samora branch, Slice is moving to other branches in Harare before going to other branches outside the capital.

He said it is a great honour to have such a great visionary leader like President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his open for business mantra, which will attract foreign direct investments (FDIs).

Mr Mutyebere said the local businesses have a role to play in this economy.

Slice procures all its chicken and potatoes locally from farmers and its business partners.

The company buys organic food from the local farmers and supplement through contracting some selected farmers to produce more raw materials for the company.

In the next two years the company will be rolling out multi- million dollar contract farming.

Slice Distributors prepares pizza slice, chicken slice and shawarma.

The company faces competition from Chicken Inn, Shelly Chicken, Chicken Village, Eat and Lick, Mambo, Papa Chino and Meat and Eat among other fast food outlets.

Most companies are moving penetrating regional markets to access foreign currency for raw materials.