Mall plans to host new supermarket

The National Business
Unity Mall director Clark Piokole (left) with managing director Raj Shahi. – Nationalpic by KENNEDY BANI

By PETER ESILA
THE opening of the Unity Supermarket Ltd in Port Moresby is expected by the middle of next year, says Unity Mall director Clark Piokole.
The mall is a small-to-medium enterprises (SME) hub housing small businesses owned by Papua New Guineans, providing them space to operate retail and food services.
Piokole said a supermarket would complement that.
The concept was started by the Christian Professionals Network.

City Pharmacy Limited founder Sir Mahesh Patel (left) with Small and Medium Enterprise Corporation chairman John Pora during the Unity Mall SME fair in Port Moresby on Friday. – Nationalpics by KENNEDY BANI

“This is not really crowd-funding but public offering within the network, friends, family, churches,” Piokole said.
“We are pulling them together to buy shares, initial shares and limited offer, so we can buy into the shares and build the supermarket.
“We are doing much as we can but the total cost of that supermarket in terms of stock, fit-outs and operating expenses over the next three years after it is opened is around K7.5 million.
“We think of it as a national movement.

NCD Governor Powes Parkop (left) and Moresby North-East MP John Kaupa at the Unity Mall SME fair in Port Moresby on Friday.

“Everyone is doing things on their own.
“We come up with a strategy of growing business from the SME stage to big business, because if you really think about it, the economy will grow if the SME sector grows.
“The Government goes around and looks at extractive industries and tries to get its mines open.
“But where you earn your money from in the industries, it is where we are spending it wrongly.
“We won’t be able to grow our economy, no matter where you earn your money from whether it is through royalty, business, employment or contract inherited, married to a wealthy family, or you steal it.
“At the end of the day, you will still spend it.
“So a few people earn it at the top level. We will go and spend it at the retail sector dominated by foreigners.
“So Papua New Guineans are good at earning it. But we are going to shops owned by foreigners.”
He said locals were not being productive.

Vendors at the Unity Mall SME fair in Port Moresby this week.

“We are waiting for the Government and complaining to the Government. We will end up struggling all the time because money is coming but we are not making use of it.
“Resources are there but we are not making use of it.”
He said a supermarket owned by Papua New Guineans would ensure people were economically independent.