Company type | Consumer Goods |
---|---|
Genre | Commercial |
Predecessor | Staff Welfare Organization Stores |
Founded | 1971 |
Headquarters | , Pakistan |
Number of locations | 5,939 store outlets |
Area served |
|
Key people | Mr. Afzal Latif, Secretary for Industries & Production (Chairman, Board of Directors), |
Products |
|
Services | Supply the public consumer Items at lower prices than the open market |
Owner | Government of Pakistan |
Number of employees | 14,500 |
Parent | Ministry of Industries and Production |
Website | usc |
The Utility Stores Corporation of Pakistan (USCP) is a Pakistani state-owned enterprise that operates chain stores throughout the country that provide basic commodities to the general public at prices which are lower than the open market because the government subsidizes them. [1] It is the largest chain-store entity in the country with 5,939 locations.
Utility Stores Corporation is governed by a board of directors and headed by a managing director. [2] Public business organizations or the public can ask the courts in Pakistan to hold hearings if they have concerns about the quality of items being sold at the stores. [3]
Utility Stores Corporation was established in 1971 to provide price relief on food and beverages to the low-income segment of society. [4] It started with only 20 stores acquired from the Staff Welfare Organization. [4] Its purpose was to supply the public, particularly the poorer sections, with clean, graded, and hygienically suitable food and non-food items free from adulteration. [4] It also aimed to offer a setting where people could purchase items at prices lower than the general market. [4]
During Imran Khan's tenure, the Government of Pakistan completed the computerization of the utility stores across the country to improve their performance and efficiency. [5]
A convenience store, convenience shop, bodega, corner store, corner shop, or superette is a small retail store that stocks a range of everyday items such as convenience food, groceries, beverages, tobacco products, lottery tickets, over-the-counter drugs, toiletries, newspapers and magazines.
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