LOUIS TRICHARDT – A trade name that has been part of the Soutpansberg for more than four decades, Solly's Discount World, is set to very quickly become a household name in the Johannesburg area.

The latest venture of the Noor family opened its doors in Johannesburg South on Friday, February 15. The modern, hi-tech store is situated just of the M1 near Gold Reef City (opposite the Makro in Selby). The store boasts with 3 500m² of display area with a further 3 500m² of storage space. Apart from the normal array of appliances, hi-fis and television sets, the store carries large stocks of imported furniture. It also has a baby section with everything from throwaway nappies to elegant camp cots and children's clothing. A first for the Solly's Group is also the fabric and curtain sector where customers can choose from a wide variety of locally manufactured and imported fabrics.

The new store was designed for convenience with a lot of "extras" such as a Kodak Instant photographic lab, a new MTN instant access counter and a section devoted to Verimark products. For the sound lover, two booths are available where the home theatre experience can truly be appreciated.

The Johannesburg store is the latest venture of the Louis Trichardt based businessman, Mr Solly Noor. His success story started in the early 60's when he left school to help his father, Mr Mansuli Noor. On the 1st of January 1963 he opened the doors of Solly's Record Bar, situated in Trichardt Street where Nando's are today. He quickly realised the importance of low prices and in 1967 the store started to discount electronic goods.

"The difference between discounters and normal retailers lies in the profit margin," explains Mr Noor. Where discounting is involved, the profit margins are extremely low and the eventual gains are derived from selling large quantities of stock.

In 1972 Solly's Record Bar expanded into the appliance market and began selling stoves, fridges and freezers. Three years later television hit the SA market and Solly's Record Bar was the first to discount these popular items.

In the late 1970's the Noor family was forced to move out of the town because of the apartheid laws of the time and on July 1, 1980 opened a store in Eltivillas under the Solly's Discount World name. This was registered as a trademark and quickly became well known, not only in Louis Trichardt, but also all over the province.

In 1985 the Noor family again expanded their range of products to include all other fields of electronics, including power tools, generators and household goods.

In 1993 a second Solly's Discount World store opened in the heart of Pietersburg. Shortly after this construction work started on a new premises for the Solly's Group in Louis Trichardt and in November 1995 the ultra modern store on the corner of Trichardt and Burger Street opened its doors.

Still it did not mean that the man at the helm of all the initiatives could sit down and relax. In November 2000 the Solly's store in Pietersburg moved to newly built premises in the city. This was the first mega store in the Solly's Group and for the first time furniture was discounted.

During the past forty years Solly's Discount World has become a leader in the retail industry, winning all mayor awards in the electronic industry. The accolades include being top dealer for brands such as Defy, Panasonic, Sony, Multichoice, Samsung, Whirlpool and dozens of others. The past year the group excelled with awards from leading furniture manufacturers such as Sealy and Grafton Everest. "With alliances with associated companies in other major centres such as Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town, the Solly's Group are today one of the leading independents in the country," says Mr Noor.

The Johannesburg store that opened last week is almost certainly not going to be the last venture of the Noor family. Negotiations are already well underway to construct a building in Cape Town and open a mega store in the mother city within the next few months.

The Solly's Discount World in Johannesburg is a combined venture between the Noor and Valli families. The Valli family is well known in Gauteng, especially for their expertise in the tool industry. The two Valli brothers, Yaseem and Zane, will manage the store.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our suppliers, loyal customers and service providers for their valued support over the past four decades. These achievements could also not have been possible without our loyal and dedicated staff members," says Mr Noor.