J&P rises from humble beginnings
The owner of the John and Penny (J&P) Group has explained how determination finally paid off with the business he and his wife started from humble beginnings.
The John and Penny (J&P) Group has announced that it is closing two of its major business operations worth about N$80 million, for it to focus on leisure and property development and management.
This was announced by the group's executive chairman John Akapandi Endjala on Saturday at the official opening of the Endjala Lodge and Traditional House at Okapya on the outskirts of Ondangwa. He said the group has grown exponentially and has become “difficult to handle”. Established in 1995 by Endjala and his wife Penny, also the group's managing director, the J&P Group grew into a formidable business, venturing into food production, catering, infrastructure, and its leisure division.
According to Endjala, the group is giving up its food production operations under the brand, Top Foods. The company has factories and butcheries in Ondangwa and Windhoek. The catering services division, which manages the restaurant at the Namibian Institute of Public Administration (NIPAM) in Windhoek as well as the sport facilities for Namdeb at Oranjemund, will also close.
“We are reducing our business operations and we are closing two of our main branches, worth close to N$80 million,” said Endjala.
“We would like to focus on leisure and property development and management. We are currently negotiating with interested investors to take over these businesses to avoid job losses. The group will also soon appoint a board of directors.” He added the growth of their group has seen them employ around 800 people. “We started with a small bottle store in Katutura and today we are all over the country. I have been running the business operations, while my wife focuses on finances. We never had board members and our bedroom has been our boardroom. We are cutting out other operations,” he said. The Top Foods division of the group is one of the largest divisions and employs hundreds at its meat factories and butcheries in Ondangwa and Windhoek. It produces a variety of products including russians, viennas, biltong and various polonies, sold to both wholesale and retail clients. The J&P Group's leisure division operates two lodges - the Ekamuti Town Lodge in Ondangwa and Toko Lodge at Kamanjab.
The group has now opened two other establishments, Shikamasha Lodge near Etosha National Park and the Endjala Traditional Village, to strengthen their operations. He added that the property development and management will be operating under Shitaka Energy and Communications, and Uncle J Properties.
“Under Shitaka Energy and Communications we will be installing network towers, while under Uncle J we will be developing land for housing in municipal areas,” he said. Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta, who inaugurated the two establishments, said what the J&P Group is doing is a clear testimony that the tourism sector has the potential to transform the lives of the people, particularly those in rural areas. He said it is also a positive demonstration of how individual citizens can meet government halfway in addressing socio-economic challenges facing the people.
“Local people must be given an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge to visitors. This type of initiative will complement existing tourism products to fully render the Namibian experience to welcome tourists,” Shifeta said.
ILENI NANDJATO
This was announced by the group's executive chairman John Akapandi Endjala on Saturday at the official opening of the Endjala Lodge and Traditional House at Okapya on the outskirts of Ondangwa. He said the group has grown exponentially and has become “difficult to handle”. Established in 1995 by Endjala and his wife Penny, also the group's managing director, the J&P Group grew into a formidable business, venturing into food production, catering, infrastructure, and its leisure division.
According to Endjala, the group is giving up its food production operations under the brand, Top Foods. The company has factories and butcheries in Ondangwa and Windhoek. The catering services division, which manages the restaurant at the Namibian Institute of Public Administration (NIPAM) in Windhoek as well as the sport facilities for Namdeb at Oranjemund, will also close.
“We are reducing our business operations and we are closing two of our main branches, worth close to N$80 million,” said Endjala.
“We would like to focus on leisure and property development and management. We are currently negotiating with interested investors to take over these businesses to avoid job losses. The group will also soon appoint a board of directors.” He added the growth of their group has seen them employ around 800 people. “We started with a small bottle store in Katutura and today we are all over the country. I have been running the business operations, while my wife focuses on finances. We never had board members and our bedroom has been our boardroom. We are cutting out other operations,” he said. The Top Foods division of the group is one of the largest divisions and employs hundreds at its meat factories and butcheries in Ondangwa and Windhoek. It produces a variety of products including russians, viennas, biltong and various polonies, sold to both wholesale and retail clients. The J&P Group's leisure division operates two lodges - the Ekamuti Town Lodge in Ondangwa and Toko Lodge at Kamanjab.
The group has now opened two other establishments, Shikamasha Lodge near Etosha National Park and the Endjala Traditional Village, to strengthen their operations. He added that the property development and management will be operating under Shitaka Energy and Communications, and Uncle J Properties.
“Under Shitaka Energy and Communications we will be installing network towers, while under Uncle J we will be developing land for housing in municipal areas,” he said. Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta, who inaugurated the two establishments, said what the J&P Group is doing is a clear testimony that the tourism sector has the potential to transform the lives of the people, particularly those in rural areas. He said it is also a positive demonstration of how individual citizens can meet government halfway in addressing socio-economic challenges facing the people.
“Local people must be given an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge to visitors. This type of initiative will complement existing tourism products to fully render the Namibian experience to welcome tourists,” Shifeta said.
ILENI NANDJATO
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