Vision City RH Hypermart opens for business

This group of women from the highlands residing in Port Moresby were among the first to walk in, see what the new Vision City RH Hypermart has to offer, do their shopping and leave when Papua New Guinea’s biggest supermarket opened its doors yesterday along Waigani Drive in Port Moresby.

THE country’s newest and biggest supermarket opened its doors for business yesterday.

A big crowd started converging on the Vision City RH Hypermart at Waigani in Port Moresby from early morning.

Scores of armed policemen, including mobile squad members, and private security personnel were stationed around the perimeter to prevent any untoward incident.

In view of the large crowd, the shoppers were only allowed into the hypermarket in batches.

Occupying a whopping floor space of more than 10,000sqm, the RH Hypermart offers a huge range of goods that include clothings, sporting goods, tools, furniture, personal care products, health products, gifts and of course, food and wine.

The meat section is supervised by an Australian butcher while the bread section will be operated by popular franchise Brumby’s from Australia.

Apart from fresh breads, Brumby’s is also known for its pies, cup cakes, sausage rolls and many other favourites.

It will commence business next month.

The seafood section offers a wide selection and for a small fee, customers can have their purchases cut, clean and ready to cook.

The service is also available from the meat section.

CC Ang, the general manager of RH Trading which runs the hypermarket, said the new outlet offered Port Moresby residents a new shopping experience.

“The hypermarket is the largest in PNG and possibly the South Pacific. It offers a one-stop shop for everything and anything,” he told The National.

“We have about 45,000 items for sale.”

He said that apart from competitive pricing, they also offered quality, freshness and convenience.

“There will be no shortage of parking space as we have up to 1,000 lots in a safe and secure environment.

“In the near future, we will introduce a loyalty programme to our frequent shoppers.”

On the other two outlets in Port Moresby, Ang said both would be renamed RH Hypermarket Express and would offer goods at lower prices.

“While the Vision City RH Hypermarket is aimed at the middle and upper end, it does not mean that the prices will be higher,” he said.

Ang is confident customers will appreciate the convenience of shopping under one roof.

Many shoppers are surprised by the range of goods available.

“Now I know where I want to shop. It’s so convenient,” a shopper, who lives at Touaguba Hill, said.

Another shopper from Boroko said: “Most of the items are cheaper than at the usual supermarket where I shop.”

The business hours of the new hypermart have been tentatively fixed at 8am-9pm daily.

The hypermart is located in Vision City’s shopping mall which is close to completion.

The mall will house more than 50 retail outlets, restaurants and a foodcourt.

They are expected to start moving in next month.

Vision City is a billion-kina project undertaken by the RH Group (PNG) which includes an office tower block, service apartments, a hotel and convention centre.

The entire project is scheduled to be completed in 2013.