OK Zim unveils 2023 OK Grand Challenge promotion

ZIMBABWE Stock Exchange (ZSE) listed retailer, OK Zimbabwe Limited yesterday unveiled the 2023 edition of the OK Grand Challenge (OKGC) with US$1 million worth of prizes up for grabs.

The 35th edition of the giant retailer’s annual promotion, which kicked off nationwide, will run from April 5, 2023 up to June 3, 2023, in what is promising to be a bigger and better campaign than the prior events.

Over 40 Nissan NP200s and a new generation Ford Ranger double cab worth over US$60 000 (the premium prize) are on the table for lucky customers in this year’s edition, courtesy of a diverse network of suppliers.

Included in the vehicle prizes are the Shoppers Choice Loyalty Club NP200 and the Ritebrand car prize where customers qualify by buying groceries worth $15 000 and $10 000 for respective brands which are exclusively found in OK stores.

These will be complemented by weekly prizes, whose qualification criterion requires customers to buy general groceries worth $10 000.

Customers enter the competition by availing their names, mobile and ID numbers to the till operators, while tech savvy individuals can register for the promotion through the chat board, web store so as to give many customers a fair chance to win.

Over 200 brands will be participating in the promotion.
The OK Grand Challenge is the biggest and longest-running retail promotion in Zimbabwe, having been launched in 1988, however, the group skipped the 2020 edition owing to the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Officially launching the popular promotion at the Marimba branch in Harare yesterday, OK Zimbabwe chief executive officer, Mr Maxwell Karombo said the promotion time was the peak trading period for the group hence a very important element to the business every year.

He said the retail group was promising “the biggest savings of the year” where consumers and shoppers enjoy rock bottom prices from across the 52 OK stores nationwide.

“We have faced very difficult trading conditions as a business but that arises from consumers having tight disposable incomes, so we are lowering prices. OK recognises that we are in difficult times and saving any dollar will bring happiness to so many homes.

“We are going all the way through to help Zimbabweans enjoy what they have known OK Zimbabwe to be. This is a promotion that has changed lives, some won bicycles as we started some stands, some houses and many have won cars,” said Mr Karombo.

He said his group took pride in fronting the buy local campaign hence the platform was to also showcase local brand performance.

“We are a company that is 100 percent local with a shareholders book of circa 30 000 shareholders serving almost 4 million Zimbabweans every month.

“We are proudly Zimbabwean, we will be delivering the best of what Zimbabwe produces, when you look around our shops you will see that close to 90 percent of our products are locally sourced, and these are brands that are very close to our hearts,” he added.

He said the variety of businesses in the group have been witnessing growth lately, recovering from the effects of Covid-19 induced lockdowns.

OK Zimbabwe marketing director, Mrs Juliet Ziswa, reminded the customers that people from any part of the country were eligible to enter the competition demystifying the myth that it was only a Harare campaign.

“We are talking about the biggest savings of the year, because our suppliers are able to give us very good discounts that our customers are able to experience. The customers should expect the biggest savings of the year.

“Many times people say it is a Harare promotion but last time we got winners from across Zimbabwe which is good for the brand,” said Mrs Ziswa.

As per the norm, the promotional period will be wrapped up by a prestigious horse race on June 3, 2023.
The retail store has also introduced a refreshed logo with a modern and cleaner icon and a payoff line that says “My Happy Place” OK Zimbabwe continues to grow its branch network under diverse brands like OK Stores, OK Mart, Bon Marche and the recently acquired Food
Lovers, as well as specialty stores like pharmacies.
-herald.co.zw