Bibi Cash and Carry is a wholly black-owned and SA’s largest retail chain supermarkets owned by founder and managing and managing director Tommy Makhatho. The chain store opened its first store in 1998 and today the operation has four massive outlets in the Free State province. The company employs over 500 people, with a further 3 000 plus, benefiting indirectly.
Bibi Cash and Carry is an SME that contributes positively to enterprise development as most of its stock is sourced from small local suppliers, resulting in a win-win situation for both the merchants and customer as stock can be offered at lower prices.
The organization has prepared strategic plans to expand its operations that include moving into alternative supply-chains such as funeral and monthly grocery plans. This will also have bulk supply to prisons, hospitals and education institutions.
Makatho’s entrepreneurial journey began in 1980 when he quit his day job as a waiter at the Carlton Hotel in Johannesburg. He started a mobile salon business that due to high demand led to him opening a backyard salon in Orlando east in Soweto. His salon business ‘died’ a natural death.
He did not give up but he was back on the road distributing hair products and a range of bed lined in the townships of Free State, Northen Cape and Lesotho. Makatho kept on doing well and managed to raise enough capital to establish his current business empire.
The location of his businesses close to the townships was a competitive advantage for his business thus he used his knowledge of the local market to capitalize on anything that can ignite his business.