Closure at OK Zimbabwe Limited

A workplace stops operating, is placed on care and maintenance, or resumes operating after a period of closure.

verified

What happened, in plain words

The 83 year old supermarket chain closed five branches at once and lined up a sixth for March 2025. Shops shut included Robson Manyika, Glen Norah, Kuwadzana Express and Mbare in Harare, Chitungwiza Town Centre and Entumbane in Bulawayo. Hundreds of mostly junior staff faced retrenchment from 31 March 2025. The chain owed suppliers about 17 million United States dollars and could not restock its shelves properly.

Not stated

People reported

The source did not give a countable number, so none is shown

31 January 2025

Date of the event

high

Confidence in the record

How the number was arrived at

Source said hundreds of employees faced retrenchment but gave no figure

Evidence

Field	Value
Source	The Herald / Business Weekly
Link	https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/ok-zimbabwe-treading-in-choppy-waters-closes-five-branches
Source last opened by the platform	Never checked
Evidence retrieved	20 August 2026
Fingerprint of the source page	Not taken. The page has not been read successfully.
Published by the source on	31 January 2025
Employer	OK Zimbabwe Limited
Sector	Retail & Wholesale
Where	Harare, Chitungwiza and Bulawayo, Harare, Bulawayo
Status on this platform	verified
Counted in published figures	Yes

Branches named were Robson Manyika, Glen Norah, Kuwadzana Express, Mbare, Chitungwiza Town Centre and Entumbane. Retrenchments were set to begin 31 March 2025.

The rule this record had to meet

A workplace stops operating, is placed on care and maintenance, or resumes operating after a period of closure.

Evidence required: The name of the site and the operator, the date operations stopped or resumed, and a statement from the operator, a landlord, a local authority or an established publication.

Read thisWorkforce events are a record of what a named and citable source reported. They are not a census of job losses or job creation in Zimbabwe. Many changes in employment are never announced, and small employers are almost never reported at all, so the picture here leans towards large employers, listed companies, the public service and unionised sectors. Read the evidence link on any event before relying on it.

As at 5 Oct 2026, 14:40. Method version unknown.