Zimbabwe Fast Fit Chain to Reopen Branches

In September Zimbabwe’s National Tyre Services will reopen the outlets and a factory that had closed due to business conditions. At the company’s Annual General Meeting, CEO Cleophas Makoni told shareholders that the 35.05 per cent Apollo Tyres South Africa owned company will "roll out and revitalise our branch network. We have enough stock and we are in a position to meet the demand."

The company closed 12 of its 16 branches throughout Zimbabwe, yet Makoni stated it would not have problems reopening them as National Tyre Services had only “leased them out on a short-term basis.” The roll out programme would see all the closed branches re-open for business, he added. The company’s closed Bulawayo factory, one of two owned by National Tyre Services, will also eventually re-enter production. Plans are to push output at the company’s Harare facility, currently operating at 30 per cent of capacity, to 88 per cent before restarting production at the second site.

Mr. Makoni said National Tyre Services is currently selling around 3,200 tyres per month but has the ability to sell up to 9,000 tyres monthly once capacity increases. Retreading capacity has also increased with help from technology and raw material supplier Bandag. The company is currently sourcing stock (tyre rubber retreads) from Dunlop Zimbabwe and Regal from South Africa. The agricultural and commercial transport sectors are a stated current company focus, as is the consolidation of relations with Dunlop Zimbabwe, Apollo International and Bandag.