Ofhani Negota and his siblings started a new sweet shop, Candy Galore. They stock a wide variety of mostly imported candy and even cater for diabetics.
How did your business start?
My siblings and I started Candy Galore in memory of our late mother, Maria, who had her own sweet shop at OR Tambo’s domestic departures.
Why did you choose this area to set up shop?
The centre management of Irene mall was interested in opening a sweet shop. This was a perfect opportunity for us.
How did you find your premises?
A friend who works for the Broll Propery Group helped us out.
Why are the premises ideally suited to your business?
We want to specifically target family malls, and Irene mall is ideal in this regard.
Who are your neighbours?
Ocean Basket, Mythos and Mugg & Bean.
What are the shop rental/sales prices like in this area?
We are currently paying a fixed rental amount of about R17,000 per month.
What is your shop footprint?
Over weekends and over the festive season, we are quite busy. We start trading at 9am until 6pm and will have about 20 to 35 customers coming in to the shop.
Do you have any expansion plans?
Expansion plans are definitely in the pipeline, as we are in the process of opening more stores in 2016. We will be targeting the Mall of Africa and Sun International casinos.
Do you operate online as well?
Not yet, but we are planning to do so.
What’s your most popular item/service?
We sell a variety of candy or sweets; some are imported lines which are quite popular with the customers. We also stock sugar-free items.
See for yourself:
Candy Galore
082 447 8167
ofhaninegota@gmail.com
Words: Zena le Roux
Images: Supplied
