Sihle Zikalala, KwaZulu-Natal’s MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA), will today unveil a bulk-buying and warehousing programme aimed at benefiting emerging businesses in the retail sector.
The bulk-buying programme was initiated by the EDTEA Department to “drastically reduce the cost of sales for emerging retailers to enable them to maximise profits”, said Zikalala.
He explained that the programme would see bulk-buying warehouses built throughout the province to ensure that small traders did not have to travel long distances to purchase goods, and could get them at a lower cost to enable them to expand their market share.
The launch follows several bulk-buying roadshows in the eThekwini metro, as well as in the districts of Amajuba, Umgungundlovu and King Cetshwayo.
“This marks a new chapter in our ongoing efforts to support small enterprise development, which we see as key in the fight against poverty, unemployment and inequality," Zikalala said, adding that the provincial government viewed the bulk-buying programme as a “crucial pillar of economic transformation” and an important step in revitalising township and rural economies.
