Consecutive LS Retail Awards, election to partner advisory council highlight Braintree’s expertise in African retail Braintree, the consulting and integration division of Vox, has been named as LS Retail Diamond and LS One Gold Partner for 2021, highlighting the company’s expertise and continued successes in helping businesses within the South African and regional retail industry
Commenting on progress in recovering from the social unrest and damage last week, Pick n Pay Group CEO, Pieter Boone said: “We updated stakeholders earlier this week on damage to Pick n Pay and Boxer stores and infrastructure as a result of last week’s social unrest and looting. In total, 136 of our food, grocery,
Following a week of political and social unrest in South Africa impacting our operations in the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces, this announcement serves to update shareholders of our assessment of the impact of this event on our operations as at 18 July 2021. It is noteworthy that, as a result of exceptionally strong turnover in
As part of this commitment, Massmart delivered an initial consignment of 90 tons of food to Gift of the Givers and FoodForward SA to replenish their warehouses Underscoring the importance of both short-term and long-term solutions to address hunger and relief efforts related to the recent unrest in KwaZulu-Natal, Walmart, the Walmart Foundation and Massmart
One of the largest online payment service providers for emerging markets, PayU, has purchased CELO, and will also offer Celo stablecoins as a payment option for merchants, powered by First DAG PayU, the payments and fintech business of Prosus, has announced its collaboration with Celo, the mobile-first, open-source blockchain ecosystem focused on making DeFi accessible
The country’s largest food manufacturer, Tiger Brands, is prioritising the transformation of South Africa’s agricultural sector through ongoing support to its enterprise supplier development (ESD) programme. The programme supports black female farmers and black small-scale farmers with funding, market access, turnaround and commercialisation strategies, as well as mentorship and capacity building, as it bolsters its
KONGA CLAIMS MOST INNOVATIVE E-COMMERCE COMPANY AWARD Konga, Nigeria’s leading composite e-Commerce giant, has been named the most innovative company of the year. The award was presented to the management of Konga at the 2021 Titans of Tech Hall of Fame Awards held on Friday, July 23, 2021 at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos. The
Engen continues to expand in Botswana and so spread its unique retail fuel and convenience customer experience across the country, with five new Engen Service Stations opening in the first half of 2021 and a further five in the pipeline. “As always, convenience and customer service are key determinants of our success and we are
Over the past 18 months, as COVID has shaken the world and brought the future forward, the need for environmental scanning and an understanding of the drivers of societal change is more important than ever. After all, change has never happened this fast before. At Smollan, trends play an integral part in our innovation process
Shareholders are advised that several of Famous Brands’ and franchisee properties have suffered various degrees of damage due to the civil unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng over the past few days. To date, the total number of stores that have been damaged and rendered nonoperational is 99, the majority being in KwaZulu-Natal. Our Logistics facility
As the authorities are restoring stability in pockets of KZN and Gauteng the Shoprite Group is working around the clock to repair and restock looted and damaged stores. These stores are becoming operational and are re-opening for business by the hour while the safety of both customers and employees remains paramount. “Supply lines to the majority of stores
Engen continues to expand in the Democratic Republic of Congo and so spread its retail fuel and convenience customer experience across the country, with the recent opening of two new Engen service stations. “As always, convenience and customer service are key determinants of our success and we are excited to bring these two new service
The lack of food security is a major issue for South Africa. Every day, millions of people go to bed hungry while millions of tons of food go to waste each year. As the largest food manufacturer in South Africa, Tiger Brands has partnered with SA Harvest in an effort to reduce food waste and
By Godfrey Motsa CEO at MTN South Africa In the face of overwhelming adversity and strife, it is a natural human emotion to withdraw from the crisis. Last night, as my executive team and I at MTN ended yet another crisis update, a wave of despondency hit me, and I said out loud, to
As a result of looting and vandalism over the past few days across Gauteng, and predominantly KwaZulu Natal (KZN), a total of 184 SPAR Group Ltd stores (including 62 TOPS liquor stores and 31 Build it stores) have been severely impacted. This represents roughly 7% of the SPAR store network across Southern Africa. SPAR stores
The Citrus Grower Association of Southern Africa (CGA) strongly condemns the wave of looting and arson that swept across KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng last week. While the citrus value chain has been impacted, most critically by the closure of the Durban port, the industry has and will continue to ensure that citrus is exported to key
$40 000 prize will amplify its recycling impact through innovation South African recycling company, Kudoti, was announced in the top five winners of Nestlé 2021 Creating Shared Value (CSV) Prize, for their innovative recycling impact through technology. The CSV Prize has been running for over 10 years and has identified multiple initiatives for some of
Amidst the disruption in South Africa, Game Stores remains focused on providing South Africans with essential goods in as many areas as possible, through its brick-and-mortar stores and its partnerships with Uber Eats and OneCart. “Our ability to deliver online orders has been affected in some areas, such as Durban and surrounds, where routes have
RFG is to acquire the market-leading frozen foods business from Pioneer Foods which owns the well-known brands Today, Mama’s, Big Jack and Man’s Meal The product range includes frozen pies, pastry, sausage rolls, pizza and party packs, with the business commanding a strong presence in the frozen pies and pastry segment and services the South
In an effort to foster growth for both the formal and informal sector in Zambia, Pan-African Payments business Cellulant rolls out Tingg, a digital payments platform enabling businesses and their consumers to accept and make payments seamlessly Payment technology over the years has completely transformed how retailers operate. Thirty years ago, most retailers across Africa
The South African Canegrowers Association strongly condemns the criminality that has swept areas in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. With the violence and destruction escalating in cane growing areas, we call on government to declare a state of emergency and to immediately deploy more South African Defence Force troops to bring law and order in hotspot areas.
Hand-in-Hand with the private sector Transforming the world’s agri-food systems, the way we produce, process, distribute and consume food has been identified as one of the key avenues to achieving many targets of the 2030 Agenda. This means better production, better nutrition, and a better environment, for a better life. The 2021-2025 FAO strategy for
The last year-and-a-half has seen a rapid rise in all forms of contactless payments. For merchants across the globe, enabling these payments as a means to reduce surface contact has been a pandemic trading necessity. However, as time moves on, choosing which payment options you offer should not be solely based on hygiene, but rather
BOOK YOUR SEAT NOW With the third wave of the pandemic seeing teams work from home once again, we would like you to join us for a free webinar on 28 July 2021 from 15:00 to 16:00 (SAST) where we explore Mobile Expense Management. The costs for your mobile technologies tend to come from many providers in a
Pick n Pay has opened additional capacity in response to the high demand in online shopping on its scheduled delivery platform www.pnp.co.za. In Gauteng particularly, where the third wave is resulting in more people distancing and isolating, Pick n Pay has increased delivery slots by 65% on the platform. “We have moved quickly to add
Africa rounds out latest advance in global technology vision as seventh network location There’s no doubt Coca-Cola (www.Coca-Colacompany.com) is driving digital transformation through its consistent messaging and movement into a more agile and growth-minded work environment. Technology Services is leading the charge by enabling the broader corporate vision to build scalable capabilities across the system.
The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) has condemned the destruction of property and ongoing looting of retail shops which started in KwaZulu-Natal and which has since spread to other areas such as Johannesburg saying such acts of wanton criminality have no place in democratic South Africa. Looters are targeting retail shops including liquor
The online retail industry is experiencing an unprecedented boom, with indications that the sector was worth R30bn in 2020, a full third higher than estimates just three years ago. This means retailers of all shapes and sizes need to ensure their systems and e-commerce capabilities are modernised to keep pace with the modern consumer. Gerhard
The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) says it is concerned with the decision by the government to ban liquor sales for two weeks despite numerous appeals to consider alternative measures to protect both businesses and jobs. CGCSA says the latest ban has come at a time when the liquor retail sector was beginning
Nestlé ranked first in the Global Access to Nutrition Index 2021 by achieving 6.7 out of 10 score, as released by the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNI). The Index assesses, after every three years, the world’s largest global food and beverage manufactures and the contributions to addressing malnutrition. Nestlé also ranked number one position from
The Global Prepaid Card Market size was valued at USD 2.01 trillion in 2019 and is predicted to reach USD 18.47 trillion by 2030, with a CAGR of 22.5% from 2020-2030. The global prepaid card market is on a strong growth momentum, owing to the growing demand for digital payments and a proliferating e-commerce sector,
Digital transformation alongside automation enablers like artificial intelligence (AI) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA), coupled with the responsible utilisation of data assets will be determining business success factors over the next five years, according to Grant Phillips, Group CEO at e4. While the landscape will be enormously different in the coming years, Phillips says that
Associations from both countries will engage Government Representatives in talks Manufacturers from Kenya and Tanzania shall meet from Today, (7th July) to Friday (9th July) to deliberate on trade promotion and market access between the two countries. Food and Beverage, Edible Oils, Chemicals, Automotive, Leather and Footwear sectors are some of the manufacturing sectors that shall participate in the trade mission, hosted
SPAR Zimbabwe has opened its 40th store: a SPAR Express with a sales area of 165m2. Opened on 14 June, the store is located on a fuel service station forecourt in the busy border town of Beitbridge, the main gateway from Zimbabwe into South Africa. SPAR Express South Beitbridge is situated just off the main
Aims to boost personalisation backed by Netcore Cloud’s full-stack product suite DigitalMall.com has recently re-launched its entire website, and it includes famous brands such as Nandos, Netflorist and Nova, as well as host of new lifestyle vendors – all with an enhanced and personalised user experience for shoppers – powered by Netcore Cloud. “DigitalMall.com is
Consumer trends such as interest in sustainable products, the demand for multicultural skincare and haircare products (designed for different skin and hair types), the opening up of new export markets in Africa, and the rise of new categories (e.g., greener products) will help to drive growth in South Africa’s cosmetics industry beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dis-Chem Pharmacies has announced the launch of its same-day on-demand delivery service, offering delivery within 60 minutes, and giving customers access to a wide range of 7 000 items across health, nutrition, beauty, cosmetic and electrical products. The launch of Dis-Chem’s DeliverD service will be trialled in selected stores across Johannesburg and other major metropolitan areas
By Andrew Dawson, Managing Director of MACmobile The Covid-19 pandemic has been the catalyst for an enormous amount of change across the globe, driving the acceleration of digital transformation in unprecedented ways. The retail sector is no different, yet South Africa faces a unique challenge here, in that a large proportion of the industry is
The day was celebrated in Accra under the theme: ‘Safe Food Now for a Healthy Tomorrow’ On 7 June 2021, Ghana joined the rest of the world in commemorating 2021 World Food Safety Day which aims to draw attention to food borne risks and encourage the practice of food safety standards to help prevent, detect
SPAR South Africa has launched the second edition of its popular Women’s Virtual Challenge. The SPAR partner is inviting women to run, jog, or walk their own virtual challenge, at their own location and pace, on 4 September 2021. The SPAR Women’s Virtual Challenge 2021 event will benefit the SPAR Petals Project. Along with the
In just eight months, contactless payment and loyalty solution, Zapper, has reduced time to exit for parking users by 43% at Cape Town’s busiest mall, Canal Walk. The parking solution has also shown a marked decrease in payment friction as well as reducing the centre’s cash requirements and associated costs. The Zapper system was launched
Checkers has partnered with Krispy Kreme to bring the globally recognised and much-loved doughnuts to its stores, and direct to homes via its Sixty60 delivery app. Customers in selected areas serviced by Sixty60 will be able to order their doughnuts directly on the app – at in-store prices – and have them delivered to their door within 60 minutes. Shoppers
Banzpay partners with Stanchion to deliver innovative payments solutions to its clients across New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Banzpay, a New Zealand-based fintech services provider of payments and banking solutions to financial institutions across New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, has partnered with Stanchion Payment Solutions, global specialists in payment solutions and integrations, to
Coffee on the go, quick and healthy pop-in-pop-out food choices, airtime, pre-paid electricity, snacks, and easy meals – repositions forecourts as a convenience store that also allows you to fill up your car. In a Lumina Intelligence survey it found that this doesn’t mean that fewer shoppers are purchasing fuel but rather that their main
Shoprite opened its 40th supermarket in Zambia at the Jacaranda Mall in Ndola last week. The retailer introduced Zambia to world-class shopping with the opening of its first supermarket in 1995, on Cairo Road in Lusaka, and has expanded throughout the country over the last 25 years. Today, Shoprite Zambia occupies 112 000 m² of
1. INTRODUCTION Shoprite Holdings shareholders (“Shareholders”) are referred to the operational and voluntary trading update released on 3 August 2020 wherein the Company advised Shareholders about the potential disposal of its Nigerian operations (the “Transaction”). Shareholders are hereby informed that the Transaction, effected by Shoprite Holdings through its wholly owned subsidiary Shoprite International Limited (“SIL”),
A recent report by Visa, the world leader in digital payments, has shown that Kenya is among the top market contributors to eCommerce in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the last 3 years. Visa’s white paper, titled eCommerce developments across Sub Saharan Africa (SSA), confirmed that, the Kenyan eCommerce scene has showcased growth, as the market’s financial
Stanchion Payment Solutions, a global specialist in payment solutions and integration, has launched SwitchCare, an innovative and comprehensive offering that ensures the optimal management of Payment Switch environments. The service is aimed at payment processing companies that have transaction switching platforms at the heart of their operational infrastructures. Using best-of-breed tools and drawing off Stanchion’s
Technology advancements, particularly those in the user interface area, have made the chat channel far more user-friendly and accessible to customers. This is helping drive growth in the channel, giving companies a confidence boost when it comes to supporting it as part of their omnichannel strategy and even setting it on a path to disrupt
Improving people’s quality of life by preventing, alleviating, or curing diseases and helping to provide an adequate supply of high-quality food, feed, and renewable plant-based raw materials, is at the core of this multinational. Bayer ended off a turbulent 2020 by celebrating 100 years in South Africa, a century in which their operations across agriculture,
