Melcom Achimota has reopened five years after its building collapsed in a tragedy that left 14 staff and customers dead.

The new branch, which stands close to the old Melcom store in Achimota, reopened in a modern shopping centre that also includes a pharmacy with a check-up room and a bank. The building has an outside car park with a capacity to hold 120 vehicles.

Melcom’s branch in Achimota had collapsed in November 2012, leaving 14 dead and 78 people with injuries of various degrees after having been trapped under the rubble. The families of those affected were later compensated by Melcom with $2,250 each and the government set up a committee to investigate the causes of the disaster and make recommendations on possible future regulation. According to the company, the new Melcom Achimota branch complies and goes beyond every safety regulation as the retailer aims at ensuring no such tragedy happens again.

With the opening of the new branch, Melcom – already Ghana’s leading retailer – will have 33 stores in the country, with 3 hypermarkets and 30 large supermarkets. Melcom made the news earlier last week with the launch of its online platform. The company has said that the move to e-commerce was largely due to higher costs and increased difficulty in acquiring retail property which have made it hard for the retailer to meet the rising demand for its stores.