CPL the biggest retail network in PNG, operating since 1987 faced its worst day on Wednesday 10th January 2024.
In light of the civil unrest in the Nation’s Capital on Wednesday 10th January 2024, CPL group of Company suffered devastatingly, which saw Stop and Shop Rainbow and Stop and Shop North Waigani looted and burnt down in flames, whilst Stop and Shop Badili and Harbour City looted and destroyed.
Despite the devastation faced by CPL Group, Sir Mahesh Patel, OBE, and his team decided to open few of their shops that were not destroyed in the unrest, Stop and Shop Waigani Central, Town, Boroko and Airways including City Pharmacy Waigani Drive (Showroom), Boroko and Vision City.
On Friday, here at Waigani Central Stop and Shop the shop was crowded, carpark was full and the check out lines were very long into the aisle of the shelves.
Customers expressed gratitude to CPL group for reopening of the Stop and Shop store despite what had happened to it’s other Stop and Shop branches during the unrest.
One shopper Mrs Oxy Olo expressed sympathy to CPL for the loss and at the same time mentioned that it is not only CPL as the company that suffered but hundreds of farmers,hundreds of families whose bread winners are employees of CPL group.
“I feel sorry for our farmers who will be affected, whose produce will go to waste because CPL was their market.”
“People do not understand the extended damage done to thousands of families in the country who had depended on CPL for decades, and this is a very sad time for these families”.
Another shopper Mr Matthew Vari highlighted that we need to understand what CPL stands for, what it’s stands for,for our simple farmers,what is stands for,for our people.
“It has been our trusted household brands”,he added.
“I choose to shop at Stop and Shop for what it stands for and not because it’s just a one stop convenient shop”.
He further added that CPL company like Bank South Pacific and other companies that give back to our communities have been supporting communities for many years and what has happened to them is very sad and uncalled for.
CPL group Limited despite suffering the worst still stands tall and believe in supporting Papua New Guinea families as demonstrated, when they brought in their workers from their other shops that were damaged to continue employment in the reopened centres.