Shoprite And Checkers Opens Doors For Community Gardens Through Market Day
Shoprite And Checkers Opens Doors For Community Gardens Through Market Day. Emerging farmers from approximately 50 community food gardens across southern Africa will be participating in Market Day on 16 May 2024 at selected Shoprite and Checkers stores.
“We support small-scale farmers by equipping them to grow food through agricultural practices that make them more adaptive and resilient to climate change. Market Day also gives them the opportunity to generate alternative income by selling their fresh and organically grown produce directly to the public at our supermarkets, and gain valuable retail experience in the process,” says Sanjeev Raghubir, Head of Sustainability and CSI at the Shoprite Group.
“For the first time since its launch in 2017, some of the community food gardens that we support in Botswana and Namibia will also bring their produce to market,” he added.Hunger relief and food security are at the core of the Group’s Act For Change programme more than 230 food gardens and 4 000 home gardens – covering over 4.5 million m2 – indirectly impacting approximately 60 000 beneficiaries.
The Shoprite Group is the largest retailer in Africa, known for its iconic supermarket brands Shoprite, Checkers and Usave. Starting with just eight stores and 400 employees in 1979, the company’s business is now the continent’s industry leader by market capitalisation, sales, profit, and number of employees and customers. The Group’s core business is food retailing, complemented by value-added retail services and offering across a range of industries including technology, financial, pharmaceutical, furniture, telecommunication as well as ticketing businesses.
In addition to its commercial ventures, the Group is committed to sustainability and being a responsible citizen. The Group’s extensive sustainability initiatives reduce the environmental impact of its operations, improve the lives of the communities it operates in and helps develop small suppliers.
