Since Game’s inception in 1970, South Africa’s retail industry has continued to evolve – and retailers have had to do the same to remain relevant. “When Game entered the market, South Africa’s retail environment was already well-developed. Our founders had a mission to make shopping fun and exciting – essentially to make it a game.
South Africa’s top five fuel station brands – BP, Caltex, Engen, Sasol and Shell – are leading the way in the customer satisfaction stakes, with one of the highest industry Customer Satisfaction scores across 10 sectors polled in the South African Customer Satisfaction Index (SA-csi), conducted by Consulta. This is the first time that fuel
The subpoena application hearing in the class action: Subpoena granted compelling the NICD/other to provide information Tiger Brands confirms that the Johannesburg Division of the Gauteng High Court has ruled in its favour to compel the NICD, two accredited national laboratories and a number of meat producers to provide critical epidemiological information required for the
Covid-19 and the pandemic’s subsequent lockdowns forced the Shoprite Group, with more than 147 000 employees, to implement a work from home environment almost overnight, rapidly facilitating thousands of virtual meetings per day in order to keep operations running smoothly. As Africa’s largest food retailer, many of the Group’s employees continued to report to work
Shareholders are advised that the Company’s annual financial statements and Integrated Annual Report will be available on its website at www.famousbrands.co.za from Monday, 29 June 2020, and contains no modifications to the summarised audited results, published on the Stock Exchange News Service on 26 May 2020 or the independent external auditors report in respect thereof.
Unlike anything the world has seen before, the COVID-19 pandemic fuelled a sudden digital surge that catapulted both global and local eCommerce traffic to unprecedented levels. The closest comparable example – while on a much smaller geographical scale – would be the 2003 SARS crisis, which is today recognised as kickstarting Alibaba’s eCommerce success in
ImStaying NPC together with PEP Stores launches the Lay-By Buddy Initiative to help customers pay off their Lay-By. “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.” – Margaret Mead. South African clothing retail giant PEP, together with the nation’s biggest good news provider #ImStaying, are
In a move designed to support local manufacturing and small enterprises, Dis-Chem Pharmacies has partnered with corporate clothing group Worksgroup to outsource the production of its staff uniforms via a small manufacturing incubator in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Worksgroup has established incubator groups at its Durban manufacturing plant which sees small pods manufacturing goods for Worksgroup’s customers.
The Business Rescue Plan has been approved and has been finally adopted in terms of section 152 of the Companies Act. Edcon Practitioners, Messrs. Piers Marsden and Lance Schapiro are pleased to announce the approval of the Edcon Business Rescue Plan. The plan was approved by the majority of affected parties including, employees, creditors, lenders,
Study shows consumers worldwide opting for touch-free, secure and seamless ways to pay The way we shop is changing. With constraints imposed on our daily lives due to COVID-19, consumers are adopting new payment habits at an accelerated pace, according to a global study by Mastercard conducted in 15 markets. Consumers are increasingly moving away
Spur Corporation welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement on 17 June 2020 to open trading for sit-down restaurants. The restaurant industry has been hit hard by the national lockdown and the return to business will enable thousands of people to earn a living and support their families. “We’re pleased with the announcement as the coronavirus pandemic
Helping those most vulnerable, preventing the spread of the virus and contributing to the recovery of local economies Across Africa and in partnership with NGOs, Coca-Cola (www.Coca-ColaCompany.com) in Africa, and its bottling partners (the “Coca-Cola System”) and The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF), have been deploying a range of resources, including capabilities, funds and products to support
Initiative comes as new study finds consumers are increasingly embracing ecommerce and digital payments over cash and cheque. Study finds consumers are considerably more cautious with 69% avoiding rush hour. Shopping habits transformed during COVID-19 with 69% of consumers only visiting shops for essentials, though 30% of consumers say that they still use cash on
Service workers can receive cashless tips directly to their card account, thanks to a new feature of the Way4 Tip Payments solution by OpenWay. Acquirers on OpenWay’s Way4 platform can introduce Way4 Tips Payments to restaurants, delivery services, taxis, hotels, and beauty salons – any service sector merchants whose customers often leave tips. According to
Apollo Brands Pty LTD (the official distributor of Under Armour in South Africa) launched their Ecommerce platform in South Africa on Monday the 8th June 2020. Amidst an ever-evolving retail landscape, the business pulled out all the stops to take the development head-on despite a global pandemic and stringent national shutdown laws. Timing could not
The appointed Business Rescue Practitioners (BRP’s), Messrs. Piers Marsden and Lance Schapiro, published the Edcon Business Rescue Plan (“the Plan”) on the 8th of June 2020, after meetings and consultation with the Creditors, Landlord and Employees Committees, and communication with SACCAWU. The Plan has been prepared on an “accelerated sales process” basis, as interest to
With the gradual increase of COVID – 19 infections across the country, Nestlé Kenya has stepped in to support the Kenya Red Cross Society and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ efforts to respond to the pandemic. Nestlé Kenya is donating KSh17.99million in cash to bolster sensitization, food relief, water, sanitation and hygiene initiatives by the
Consumers can now pay for services from thousands of small businesses, schools, and non-profit organisations by scanning a QR code with their mobile phone Leading payment solutions provider Netcash has collaborated with Mastercard to launch Quick Response (QR) code payments across its multi-channel billing platform, as part of its efforts to help Small and
Fair Cape Dairies has launched a limited edition of yellow-lidded EcoFresh milk bottles to commemorate the 254 155 kWh of renewable energy produced and used since October 2018. Since the Fair Cape Solar Switchover took place on 24 October 2018, all milking during daylight hours has been powered purely by solar energy, saving carbon emissions
Braintree, the consulting and integration division of Vox, has been named as LS Retail Diamond and LS One Gold Partner for 2020, highlighting the company’s momentum within the partner network as a result of its performance in sales, service and support for customers using the LS Retail solutions. LS Retail is a world-leading provider of
Retail employees, who prior to the health pandemic were assets to the business, have become invaluable as they continued to serve customers throughout lockdown while most people stayed home. To thank them for their service and heroism, FreshStop, the largest and fastest-growing convenience store retail brand in South Africa, launched a #ThankYoufromFreshStop digital campaign to
Revenue up to R7.8bn (2019: R7.7bn) Headline earnings per share up to 417 cents (2019: 316 cents)* Cash generated from operations (adjusted for IFRS 16 impact) up to R1.1bn (2019: R1.0bn) Operating profit up to R912m (2019: R847m)* * Includes impact of adoption of IFRS 16 Famous Brands is Africa’s leading food services franchisor. The
SALIENT FEATURES Headline earnings per share for continuing and discontinued operations of 0.3c (2019: 115.7c) R2bn gross proceeds from asset disposals R677m cash generated up 277% Strong cash transfers of R1.6bn from Angola and Nigeria CONTINUING OPERATIONS: Revenue down 17% to R6.5 billion Trading profit down 39% to R633 million R3bn impairments in Nigeria and
Vivo Energy Uganda, the distributor and marketer of Shell branded fuels and lubricants in Uganda has embarked on a deep cleaning and sanitizing exercise at its Shell service stations countrywide in preparation for the resumption of vehicular traffic on the roads and consequently, the increased demand for fuel and complementary non fuel related services. The
Delivering tastier, healthier and value to nutritional dairy products that benefit consumers whilst supporting the dairy industry; is one of the important pillars of Nestlé across the East and Southern Africa Region (ESAR). This was a view shared by the company as it marked today’s celebration of World Milk Day. Twenty years ago, the Food and Agriculture Organisation
British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) is (May 29, 2020) commencing urgent legal proceedings to challenge the government’s decision to extend the ban on tobacco sales during Level 3 of the COVID-19 Risk Adjusted Strategy. BATSA is supported in this action by Japan Tobacco International (JTI) as well as groups and organisations representing the tobacco
Over 11 million South Africans do not have a bank account and, in lockdown, receiving wages is logistically challenging. Many businesses have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and employees have been laid off. People are running out of cash and hunger is now a more immediate threat than the virus. The payment needs
DHL (www.DHL.com) acquires a stake in their strategic partner company, Link Commerce, in support of growing e-commerce in Sub-Saharan Africa and other global emerging e-commerce markets; Africa’s online retail market predicted to reach an 11-digit dollar value in 2020. DHL Express has announced its minority stake acquisition in Link Commerce, the UK-based e-commerce firm that
RFG’s fruit canning factory in Tulbagh has reopened after being closed for four days for deep cleaning and decontamination following nine employees testing positive for Covid-19 over the past three weeks. On Friday 8 May the Department of Employment and Labour (DOL) ordered the company to close the factory and contract a third-party service provider
The Commission has referred to the Competition Tribunal an agreement with Shoprite Checkers to be confirmed as an order in which the retailer agreed to no longer enforce the exclusivity clauses contained in various lease agreements against SMEs and specialist line stores with immediate effect. Furthermore, Shoprite Checkers has undertaken to immediately cease exclusivity against
In terms of paragraph 3.4(b) of the JSE Limited (“JSE”) Listings Requirements, the Board of Directors (Board) is satisfied that a reasonable degree of certainty exists that the Group’s financial results for the year ended 29 February 2020 (“review period”) will differ by at least 20% from those reported for the year ended 28 February
A new partnership between Game Stores and Uber Eats will allow customers to order Game products online, and have them delivered to their doorstep. The partnership enables the retailer to provide food and other much-needed essential products to its customers more effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the country currently on a Level-4 lockdown. The
RFG increased group turnover by 9.6% to R2.9 billion in the six months to end March 2020 as the regional business across South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa grew sales by 11.5%. The Western-Cape based food producer said sales for the month of March were 22% higher as households stocked up on essential foods following the
The acquisition of valuable, next generation clients has become a hot bed of innovation according to e4 CEO, Grant Phillips. In the wake of celebrating the company’s 20th anniversary, Phillips says one of the biggest evolutions over the past decade is the nature of the client relationship. He admits that technology lies at the heart
Online payment gateway PayFast has seen a 226% year-on-year increase in new business account registrations in the food industry since COVID-19 led restrictions were put in place in mid-March. In order to continue trading during the lockdown, many businesses have pivoted their product offering to provide essential goods, resulting in a significant spike in this
Dis-Chem Pharmacies has announced that it has entered into an agreement where it will acquire 100% of the issued share capital in and shareholder claims of specialist destination baby retailer Baby City. Dis-Chem will pay a purchase consideration of R430 million upon closure. Baby City was founded in 1992 in Durban and operates a network
The service will give foreign national workers living in South Africa the ability to provide for their families back home with basic staples. Mukuru, one of Africa’s leading remittance providers, has launched Mukuru Groceries – a service that will give South African based customers the ability to send groceries to their families and communities back
The COVID-19 crisis continued to drive global eCommerce sales in April, with the general retail sector experiencing 209 percent growth compared to the same period last year, according to an analysis by ACI Worldwide of hundreds of millions of eCommerce transactions from global online retailers. Following general retail, the gaming segment saw the biggest bump, up 126
In a Mastercard global consumer study, 75 percent of South African consumers say they use contactless payments 88 percent of South African respondents view contactless as a cleaner way to pay, with 71 percent preferring to shop at merchants where contactless is accepted In South Africa, the number of contactless transactions grew 13X in March
The Coca-Cola Company has announced a five-year agreement with Microsoft Corp. to standardize its business operations on Microsoft’s cloud and deliver rich new digital experiences that will provide innovative solutions to modernize how the company engages with employees and customers. With this agreement, the companies will utilize the capabilities of Microsoft Azure, Dynamics 365 and
Jumia, the leading e-commerce platform in Africa has announced the launch of its portal in South Africa to help consumers access essential products at the lowest price (www.jumia.co.za). The launch of the Jumia portal will provide a steady supply of hygiene & sanitary products such as diapers, soap bars, disinfectants, and liquid hand wash at
Jumia, Africa’s leading e-commerce platform and Mastercard today announced a partnership to incentivize the use of cashless payments platforms as people look for safer ways to pay in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this initiative, consumers who purchase essential products using their Mastercard on the Jumia platform will receive up to a 10
Following a partnership announced between Visa and MYDAWA, it is now simpler and safer to purchase medication through the online pharmacy. The partnership is part of a drive to encourage consumers to embrace cashless payments and avoid leaving their homes where possible in support of calls by the government for citizens to observe social distancing
Platform uses AI, drones and software to help farmers manage crop health and predict crop yields Aerobotics helps sustain South Africa’s food security Naspers announced a R100 million investment in agritech business Aerobotics, through its early-stage business funding initiative Naspers Foundry. Aerobotics is a subscription-based artificial intelligence (AI) company that provides intelligent tools for the
Shareholders are referred to the announcements published on SENS on 23 March 2020 and 3 April 2020. In compliance with Government-legislated lockdowns implemented across our trading jurisdictions, namely South Africa (SA), the rest of Africa and the Middle East (AME), and the United Kingdom (UK), the majority of the Group’s restaurants have been closed, with
In a crisis, the urgency of need must trump market barriers. Now more than ever business must come together and act to save the vulnerable among us, writes Mary-Jane Morifi, Tiger Brands’ Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer. Covid-19 has split our already divided economy down two lines: either you’re essential or you’re not. So
Pick n Pay has published its annual results for the year ended 1 March 2020. The Group delivered turnover growth of 4.7% in a tough trading environment. The Group’s South African operations delivered turnover growth of 5.1% against a strong prior year base, reflecting operational challenges in the second half of the year including the
Leading food producer scales up COVID-19 support, delivers six hygiene stations to Chisamba, Chibombo and Lusaka Councils Zambeef Products has donated hygiene stations, bulk hand sanitiser, thermometers and masks to Chisamba, Chibombo and Lusaka councils, reaffirming its commitment the fight against COVID-19 and ensuring its operations align with government’s mitigation measures. The Chibombo and Chisamba
Clover confirms that five employees have tested positive for COVID-19 at its Bloemfontein factory. This includes four cases in the past week and an initial positive case three weeks ago which was unrelated. Clover’s teams have continuously been interacting with the Department of Health (“DOH”) and initiated a process in line with its internal procedures
While its customers have been filling their trollies, the Pick ‘n Pay IT finance team has been filling out spreadsheets. Today, they’re using a Microsoft Azure-based solution called OneView to automate the process. As South Africa’s largest supermarket group, Pick ‘n Pay needs to manage a multitude of supplier relationships to keep both its technology
