TODAY, I look at one of the successful Zambian privately-owned book retail house in the country and trace its humble beginnings in the chain of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Bookworld has become a household name in as far as stocking of education books is concerned.
The book and stationery firm has established itself more than 23 years ago as a reliable Zambian private owned company for distributing and selling of a variety of books and stationery items.
The award-winning company in the category of best book shop and best stationery shop in the country for the consecutive five years from 2009 to 2013(golden arrow 2009,2010,2011 and diamond arrow in 2012 and 2013) by a south African survey company has its headquarters on plot number 10552 off Lumumba Road, light industrial site.
Who is behind this successful book and stationery outlet with fast rate of growth?
Mr Nayee is the managing director of the Bookworld and his assisted by his wife Parul both who are shareholders of the company.
Mr Nayee did part of his secondary education at St Raphael Secondary School in Livingstone now known as Linda Secondary School before completing his full secondary education in the United Kingdom (UK) at full Neck Boys School.
He later on moved to East London Polytechnic now called East London University where he obtained a bachelor’s degree of Science in chemical engineering in 1980.
In 1981 Mr Nayee came back to Zambia with a hope of finding a job as a chemical engineer but the local conditions obtaining for Zambians then discouraged him to exercise his skills in the field he was trained for.
This was so after the Nitrogen Chemicals of Zambia under Zambia Mining and industrial Corporation (ZIMCO) offered him employment under the same conditions.
He later on tried elsewhere but still was not satisfied with the condition of service obtaining for nonexpatriates even in the mining industries.
He then decided to go into private business with his elder brother by opening up a clothing manufacturing industry called Naytex Clothing Manufacturers Limited with financial support from their eldest brother who had already established himself as prominent businessman in
Livingstone.
The manufacturing clothing company unfolded by engaging in manufacturing of quality clothing which were supplied to parastatal chain stores like Zambia Consumer Buying Corporation(ZCBC), Mwaiseni Stores, Nation Import and Exporting Corporation(NIEC).
The company slowly moved into manufacturing of elastics which were supplied to other clothing industries used as components to manufacture underwear.
Further, the industry also started manufacturing socks which were supplied to chain stores.
Zambia at this time operated as a closed economy in that imports were restricted and that manufactured products were absorbed by the internal demand easily.
The opening up of the economy in the 1991 by the new government distorted the clothing manufacturing industries in the country by allowing importation of clothing and this is the period secondhand clothes started coming in.
This created stiff competition for local clothing manufacturing industries leading others to closures.
Naytex Clothing Manufacturers Limited was not spared either and Mr Nayee left the company to form his own company after several consultations.
Kingstone Company part of parastatal chain which was deeply involved in book retailing by then was now slowing down in the book sells due to some challenges and Mr Nayee now found an opportunity to fill in the gap of book retailing and this is how Bookworld was born.
Bookworld was established in 1991 as a private company involved in selling of books and stationery. It first operated in single shop on Cairo Road where Mr Nayee and his wife operated.
The business faced number of challenges in that 80 per cent of income was derived from stationery sales.
Mr Nayee remembers during this period how personally he was involved in tracking down sales from customers.
The business faced several common challenges usually faced by small businesses such as unreliable source of supplies and lack of finances limiting the business to grow.
However, the turning point for the Bookworld to enable its business outlook to grow and push itself into a medium enterprise came in when he signed for credit facilities from Pearson Publishers in UK after being recommended as good payer.
He recalls that he signed credit facilities ranging from $60, 000 to $80 ,000 and was given favourable conditions in which to repay the debt.
He bought children books, novels, business books, school and college text books and general reading books.
He recalled that the first consignment of books only took one month to sell and raised huge sums of money which he ploughed back into business because he was given six months credit period in which to repay.
From that point Bookworld has opened and signed credit facilities from renowned book publishers overseas because of the good reputation it has created as a good payer.
Bookworld, which now employees around 100 employees, has opened up 10 branches, several of them in Lusaka, and others on the line of rail.
Bookworld’s ambition is to grow going by the investment it has poured into the information technology. It has gone online and is working around the clock to create
sales of books on line in line with new technological advancement.
Comments: 0950458228 or wklpublication699@gmail.com
