Hugo Moutinho, general director of the Noble group, advances to VerAngola that with the new store (with a new design and a new presentation), the group has 70 stores, of which 23 Traditional stores, 22 Nossa Casa, 12 Angomart, 10 Dukan and 3 Sanzi Moto. The new store concept, already visible in the premises now inaugurated in Talatona and in Largo do Ambiente (in the city centre), reflects the evolution of the retail brand's strategy, which aims to strengthen its position in the market and plans to open three more stores by the end of 2021.
Angomart has been present in Angola since when?
Angomart has been present in the Angolan market since 2014.
What makes you different from other chains operating in the market?
Our stores are now redesigned and redesigned. They have more freshness, more variety, more services, more proximity and are more modern. They provide an innovative shopping experience with better prices. We are convinced that we have contributed to lower prices in the areas where we are present, namely in the areas served by the stores located in the City, in Talatona, Zango, São Paulo and in Benfica.
Why are you opening this store in Talatona?
The Talatona store and the Cidade store (Largo do Ambiente) are units that, due to their locations, allow us to better convey the message of our new image and positioning. In addition, we are present in various areas of the city, namely in Viana, Cacuaco, Sambizanga, Golf II, Benfica and in the provinces of Cabinda and Lubango. And, it is natural to reach Talatona and downtown, areas where Angomart was not yet present and where there is a wide spectrum of potential consumers.
What are the most relevant references in this new project?
We provide a new shopping experience, with new services, fruits and vegetables, more variety of fresh products, bakery with warm bread (produced throughout the day), butchery with the best meats in our region. We also have home appliances, office supplies and school supplies. We also have kitchen and household items and a wine cellar. We also have the area dedicated to animals, a segment that has grown in Angola. Therefore, these are article categories that complete our wide range of food and cosmetics. We also have a diverse range of chocolates and for our customers who want to be in line with the latest trends, we present the "Dukan" space, with 100 square meters dedicated to national and international fashion and in which we have more than 10,000 available references.
What investment has Angomart made in this pandemic period? And in this particular store?
Since we arrived in Angola, we have always returned the trust that the community has placed in us. We believe in our country, in our communities, which is why we will continue our investments, creating more stores and more jobs. The high quality standard of our Talatona store shows the path we intend to follow and the product and service we want to always have available for our customers. In addition to opening three new stores this year, we are going to renovate part of our store network – we have five already scheduled.
How many direct and indirect jobs do you generate with this project?
We are talking about 150 direct jobs and 200 indirect jobs. We created a training school in February, where we train and empower our Talatona store teams. Since February this year, our employees at all stores have undergone 12,000 hours of professional training.
What market share do you have with your stores?
There are no official data, however, we intend to lead the market until the end of 2021.
How did your sales behave in 2020 and what are your expectations for 2021?
The health situation impacted the country's economy and we all suffer from it. In the short term, we request the opening of supermarkets until 20:00 at least. This will make it possible to limit restrictions on entry into stores and the agglomeration of customers until 18:00. In 2021, we invested to prepare for the post-pandemic and accompanied efforts to boost the economy, as well as making an effective contribution to maintaining the jobs we created and maintaining the purchasing power of our workers.
What contribution have Angomart and the Noble Group made to the modernization and expansion of the distribution sector in Angola?
As mentioned above, we believe in Angola and in the potential of its market and its communities! Therefore, we continue to invest in new stores, modernize the existing park, redefine our concept, providing a new shopping experience, always guaranteeing the best quality/price ratio in the market. More than a contribution, our relationship with Angola and its communities is a long-term marriage.
Is your group interested in participating in the ongoing privatization process in the sector?
The economic situation of the companies to be privatized does not excite us. What has been demonstrated with the process is the slowness in the capacity to dynamize the sector with companies that already existed. And this is not good for the operators, not for the Government, not for the country, not for the consumers. Therefore, although we remain attentive to the process, we are focused on our goals for 2021, which include, as I said, the renovation of the stores we already had and the opening of new stores, either by Angomart, Nossa Casa or Dunkan.
