Namibian retailers doing fine

IT seems that retailers in Namibia have experienced no loss of business since the start of the financial crisis last year.

Says Pieri Venter, Regional Director of Spar Namibia: ‘Even in the current financial crisis, people have to eat.’ But he admits that people have changed their shopping habits, switching from luxury goods to more ordinary brands and items. Sven Bokemuller, Marketing Director for Pick ‘n Pay Namibia, says: ‘Our sales are very good at the moment. They have actually increased from last year.’ He says there is some good news on the horizon for Namibian consumers: ‘We are pushing suppliers very hard for lower prices and we are putting on more specials.’ He says most retailers are following this strategy at the moment to keep customers buying. A recent report from the US suggests that this strategy has worked for American retailers, as consumption figures there have not dropped as much as anticipated. Dieter Voigts of Wecke and Voigts Wholesale says: ‘At this stage we do not feel any strain. Sales have been looking very, very good’. But he also warns that ‘we expect, at some point, the general situation to deteriorate’. Another well-known Namibian company, Windhoek Schlachterei, has just released its results for December, which show a 30 per cent increase in sales. The company is optimistic about its sales prospects for January and February and says the general trend seems to indicate that Namibian retailers are still doing fine. This is in line with reports from South African, where retailers have also shown strong figures in recent times.