Couple say farewell to Onderberg after more than 20 years

Henry and Marietjie Haarhoff have worked in this town for 21 years. All frequent shoppers of Malelane SUPERSPAR knew them by name. Marietjie has now retired and Henry will still be around one week per month.
“Leaving the Onderberg is like leaving family behind,” said Henry. Corridor Gazette visited him and asked him to share his story.

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“In November 1997 Lex Hollmann and Ed Harris acquired Tower SPAR, where Choppies is currently situated and immediately changed the name to Malelane SPAR. I joined the store in January 1998 as the manager and Marietjie arrived a month later.”
“We fell in love with the area, the park, the people and our new bosses. Having moved to Malalane from Ballito was quite a culture shock. Here we found children greeting adults with a sincere ‘hello Oom en Tannie’. This did not happen where we came from.

“Lex and Ed had retained 40 staff members, all on three-month probation contracts. The major challenge was to build a loyal customer base, and what remained important to instil the SPAR friendly caring philosophy in all staff members. Prior to the acquisition, the consumer image of SPAR in Malalane was not very positive.
“That made the challenge somewhat easier as we could only improve and build the franchise. We started with the basics – the right product at the right price, in the right quantities at the right time. From day one the primary focus was to keep customers happy. Happy customers would talk to other potential ones about their shopping experience, and this attracted many new people.
“In those early days Marietjie was responsible for the service departments, the butchery, bakery and deli while I managed the shop floor.

“Soon it became apparent that the store was too small. Apart from the outstanding customer service focus, the orientation shifted to keeping the shelves full. There was no storeroom, so having the correct quantity of stock on the shelves was the order of the day. It was clear that we would outgrow the premises and that led a new challenge – we needed a bigger store.
“Thanks to the courage, insight and foresight from both Hollmann and Harris, the Inkwazi Shopping Centre was opened in September 2004. Most pundits felt that Malalane was not the right palce for a large, modern shopping centre, but Hollmann and Harris soon proved them wrong as the centre grew from strength to strength.
“The store became a SUPERSPAR with the focus on specialisation. A modern butchery, state-of-the-art bakery and huge trading floor with wide isles for the benefit of the customers were built. A world-class store in the little dorp called Malalane. Tourists from abroad would, and still do, marvel at this modern supermarket in the middle of nowhere. To this day you still find overseas visitors taking photographs in the store. Malelane SUPERSPAR became the people’s store.

“It has been awarded many accolades over the years, including the South African SUPERSPAR of the Year 2007. One of the primary reasons for its success is its ability to maintain standards consistency. Be it cleanliness, friendliness, innovation or product offering, Malelane SUPERSPAR is a leading store in the SPAR Group.
“Marietjie focused on the hospitality market and became the internal shopper for selected customers. As time went on, Leopard Creek came to fruition and this gave her and her delivery team a new challenge – providing a service to the upper-class market. This they did with great aplomb.

“My association with SPAR both directly and indirectly spans over 50 years. During this time, I was firstly a supplier to the group, working at a number of famous food companies such as Robertson’s, Kellogg’s, Table Top and Tiger Brands. Then I had a stint in advertising and my major client was the SPAR Group. This followed some years in my own retail venture in Ballito. A short stint as a consultant for a SPAR store paved the way to join the Malalane branch.
“During our 21 years in Malalane, I was privileged to play league squash for the country club up to the age of 60. Marietjie persuaded me to retire and focus more on golf, of which I will always have fond memories when playing at Malelane Golf Club.
“The Onderberg and Nkomazi region will always hold a special place in our hearts. Marietjie is now retired and taking life easy in Durban. I will continue to work for the company that has given us so much. I will commute from Durban to Malalane for one week of the month and be at the store so that I can continue to support the Malelane SUPERSPAR family and our most valued customers.”