Customer demand took Rajendra’s Foodtown into Tavua and marked the beginning of a new era for residents of the Western Division town on Friday, September 5, 1997.
The opening of Rajendra Prasad’s Foodtown in Tavua, printed in The Fiji Times, marked the beginning of a new era for the residents of the Western Division town.
“It was the demand of the people of Tavua that saw Foodtown venture deeper into the previously uncharted eastern side of Viti Levu,” branch manager Abdul Shamim said.
Mr Shamim had spent the last four years with the Rajendra Prasad Foodtown chain of supermarkets and was one of the many reasons behind the success of the company.
As a manager, he had seen the steady growth of the company.
“Although it has been slow at times, the promise has always been there that our company will outgrow itself.”
Over the years, Mr Shamim had seen the opening of the long-awaited Suva outlet, the beginning of Rajendra’s’ own refrigeration department, the development of their own transport pool, the opening of a supermarket in the North and the upgrading of Foodtown in Ba.
“What really makes me glad is the fact that we are here because we were wanted here by the people; all we did was answer their calls.”
There were several factors other than honesty and low prices which made Rajendra’s Tavua Foodtown popular with the locals. The neat, clean, cool, and spacious atmosphere made shopping a delightful experience rather than a painful chore. And gone were the sad days when lack of parking spaces forced people to shop elsewhere.
The supermarket had a car park that catered for up to 100 vehicles. It was close to the supermarket. In fact, it was a feather toss away.
When Rajendra’s Foodtown talked about speedy service, they were dead serious.
Their brand-new supermarket had seven cashiers for an express cash-out service, eliminating the age-old problem of standing in long and frustrating cashier queues.
The supermarket was directly opposite the bus stand and the Tavua market.
A cheerful bunch of 30 locals managed the shop, making it an all-Tavua affair. The supermarket stocked a wide range of groceries, homeware, frozen goods, and knick-knacks.
So, if you happened to be over on the western side of Viti Levu or simply visiting Tavua, just walk in and breeze out of Rajendra’s Foodtown supermarket satisfied.
