By Amin Kef Sesay
The private sector plays decisive roles in fostering development in any nation as it is very obvious that Governments exclusively cannot champion to undertake all interventions that are geared towards improving the lives and welfare of the populace.
One business entity that has been doing business in this country for quite a considerable period of time now is Pee Cee and Sons Sierra Leone Limited. This private business enterprise has expanded the scope of its operations over the years during which period job opportunities have been provided and huge taxes paid to the Government which in turn had and is still contributing to give Government the financial muscle to fund different development programmes.
Indisputably, Pee Cee and Sons is one of the most successful businesses in the country that has demonstrated true entrepreneurship skills in serving the local market. Whilst other businesses are folding up due to the prevailing challenges in the current market, Pee Cee and Sons holds high the banner of serving its customers with quality goods and services
Petty traders and other business-oriented professionals have acclaimed Pee Cee and Sons for the continuous sustainability of its businesses across the country even at difficult moments in the country. “To succeed in commerce, you need three things: demand products to sell, the skills to market them, and the drive to succeed,” says Marie Bob Kandeh of the Petty Traders Association, making reference to Pee Cee and Sons, which continues to serve the country with quality goods and services.
Pee Cee & Sons (PCS), an enterprise that strives to offer quality brands that are affordably-priced and available to buy nationwide has been in existence for over fifty years and has maintained its standards, being one of the largest distributors and marketing companies for food products in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. It represents world-renowned brands for a variety of frozen, chilled, dry food and non-food products, and it caters for wholesale, foodservice, and retail sectors.
As a household name in the three countries in the Mano River basin, PCS has a vertically-integrated set up whereby it handles everything from procurement, import logistics, clearing, warehousing, distribution, and final sales to consumers.
It operates in all cities in the length and breadth of Sierra Leone where it can serve the local population with its own integrated wholesale and retail distribution centers.
PCS is widely known for trading on convenience goods, which are products lives cannot do without. These are more in regards to products which are staples and essential to daily living. These products are classified as convenience goods, items that are widely available, and regularly bought with very little effort.
The Government of Sierra Leone had been urged to provide a safe and friendly business environment for businesses like Pee Cee and Sons to operate so that it continues to serve the people. “We can use Pee Cee and Sons as a practical model on how successful businesses should operate in Sierra Leone,” Mohamed J. Koroma of the Marketers Association suggests and furthered that the Government of Sierra Leone can gain a lot if it promotes businesses like Pee Cee and Sons.
As stated above, a variety of frozen, chilled, dry food and non-food products are often purchased, and PCS has created an opportunity for customers who do not need to go through a rigorous decision-making process to get their products.
What most Sierra Leoneans interviewed are happy about is the fact that the convenience goods sold and distributed by Pee Cee and Sons are usually inexpensive and have a low opportunity cost for customers, and it offers retailers an opportunity to sell in their localities.
“I believe that Pee Cee and Sons is demonstrating a merchandising strategy implemented by retailers where they stock impulse goods – goods which are purchased instantaneously without significant thought process – to great effect,” a Trade Expert in the Ministry of Trade remarked and added that for the successful merchandising practice by Pee Cee and Sons, a healthy mix of product types is playing a pivotal role in the profitability of its business centers.
