Growth constraints of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) at glenview furniture complex (GFC) in harare (Zimbabwe)

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are regarded as the seedbed of entrepreneurship development. The government and other support institutions are making efforts to support the growth of the sector. Despite all these efforts and initiatives, there has been an insignificant corresponding growth of SMEs in terms of size. This study adopted both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The research used random sampling focusing on owner/managers. Primary data was collected using questionnaires. The Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. The results show that the main factors constraining the growth of SMEs at Glenview Furniture Complex are limited access to finance, limited access to infrastructure, competition, limited access to markets, HIV/AIDS and lack of access to appropriate technology. It was also found that SMEs at GFC grow through joint ventures, product differentiation, focus strategy and low cost strategy. The study recommended that SMEs at GFC should pull their resources together in acquiring raw materials as a group and selling their products through cooperative shops in town where they can display their products.