STC opens supermarket on La Digue |03 March 2014

The Seychelles Trading Company (STC) has opened a supermarket on La Digue, in line with its mandate to ensure that people have access to basic quality products and other goods at affordable prices.

The supermarket is located at La Passe on STC’s premises and it is adjacent to the company’s wholesale warehouse.

This is STC’s third supermarket besides the well established one on Mahé and the one inaugurated last August on Praslin.

The new facility on La Digue was officially opened by STC’s chief executive Veronique Laporte and its chairman Charlie Morin, in the presence of government officials, representatives of La Digue’s district administration, STC board members and staff from Mahé, Praslin and La Digue.

In a small speech to mark the occasion, Miss Laporte said she was very pleased that the supermarket has finally materialised because there was a huge demand for it, especially by the residents who felt that the cost of basic commodities and other goods were too high on the island compared to Mahé or even Praslin.

“During all my trips to La Digue since becoming the chief executive of STC, I’ve always been stopped by the Diguois asking me when they will have their supermarket. It is a reality now and I assure all Diguois that they will have all the basic priority goods, such as rice, sugar, milk and others which form part of the 14 basic priority commodities. These also include fruit and vegetables with oranges and apples as priority. This is the government’s commitment through STC that all the 14 basic commodities are available in the country at any one time and at a very low cost,” she said.
Miss Laporte also assured the Diguios that the prices of the 14 basic goods will be the same as those on Mahé and Praslin.

“Because of its size it’s rather a mini market than a supermarket but let alone its small size there will always be basic goods available all year round plus other products that we think you residents will appreciate and we would like to have your feedback so that we can offer you a better service,” she said.
 
Miss Laporte also thanked all those involved in the setting up of the supermarket, especially her staff.

The supermarket took some time to materialise because STC had difficulty in finding a location and it was decided in the end to use some space located on its premises
The supermarket was blessed by Father Simon Fred from the Anglican Church and Catholic Priest Francis Mulinge, who is also La Digue’s parish priest.

After Miss Laporte and Mr Morin had cut the ribbon to officially open the supermarket, all were invited to view the wide range of commodities available in the shop.

Albeit small, the supermarket also has an area were fruit and vegetables are cleaned and packed, and a butchery area for roasting chickens, which will be operational later after the installation of equipment.

All other meat products will be prepared and packed on Mahé and will be transported to La Digue ready for use.

Being adjacent to the wholesale warehouse, the supermarket will be managed by Valentin Adrienne, who also manages the warehouse.

In all 20 staff, all Diguois, are currently working with Mr Adienne in wholesale and supermarket and that will increase when other sections of the supermarket such as the butchery start functioning.

All the residents spoken to on La Digue wholeheartedly welcome the opening of the supermarket, saying they have been paying high prices for commodities for too long.

“The shopkeepers here were exaggerating on their prices and we had no choice but now we will see the difference,” one said.

The STC supermarket was open for business on Saturday, a day after its official opening. During the week it will open from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday, from 8am to 2pm on Saturday and from 8am to 1pm on Sunday. It will remain closed on public holidays.

Text and photos by Patrick Joubert