Leading Australian retailer selects Adyen to provide improved online payment capabilities while increasing authorisation rates. Adyen has announced a partnership with the Cotton On Group, Australia’s largest global retailer. With this partnership in place, Adyen is helping to power eCommerce payments for the Cotton On Group brands including Cotton On, Cotton On KIDS, Cotton On BODY,
Fees Cost Consumers Nearly as Much as Christmas Presents or School Supplies The National Retail Federation has said a proposed new class action settlement, which purports to resolve claims that Visa and MasterCard set credit card swipe fees in a multi-billion dollar price-fixing scheme, largely resembles part of an agreement that both a federal appellate court
Massmart reports interim results in severely constrained consumer environment characterised by soft demand for durable goods and significant major food commodities deflation. Key highlights • Total like-for-like sales for the period grew 1.9% to R41.6 billion, while comparable store sales increased 0.2% • Product inflation decreased to 0.7% • Headline earnings before restructure costs decreased
Ingenico Group, the global leader in seamless payment, has announced a partnership with Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, the market share leader in retail store technology, that will enable grocers and other retailers to better serve their customers by enhancing the customer experience at the point of sale. With growing pressure from new entrants and existing
SPAR Zimbabwe has opened a new store in Kwekwe, a mining city that has the largest mineral wealth in the country and is considered to be the industrial centre of Zimbabwe. SPAR Kwekwe is located along the main road, which travels through the Central Business District, alongside the main highway connecting Harare in the North
In a first for supermarket retailing in South Africa, Checkers is launching Ready to Chef meal kits. Developed by chefs, each meal kit consists of fresh, locally-sourced ingredients and a step-by-step recipe card with a QR code to a how-to video. With Checkers’ Ready to Chef meal kits, even time-pressed consumers can now cook delicious,
HomeChoice International PLC (the Group), a leading provider of innovative Retail and Financial Services products to a growing female mass market customer base in southern Africa, today announced solid results for the period ended 30 June 2018. Headline earnings increased by 16.1% to R260 million and HEPS increased by 14.7% to 249.6 cents, continuing its
The first on the continent to access Samsung Pay, South Africans will be able to enjoy this innovative, safer, simpler payment method that works anywhere. Samsung Pay joins the lineage of people-centered technology, allowing users to make secure, simple mobile payments, almost anywhere, when purchasing goods at any store. Users can simply tap their compatible
Fashion retailer TFG has poached the CEO of Grindrod Freight Services, Bongiwe Ntuli, to fill the role of finance chief. TFG said previously that Anthony Thunström, the current CFO, would move into the CEO role on September 3. Current CEO Doug Murray will step down at that time after almost 11 years in the job.
Pick n Pay has its sights set on creating 15,000 new jobs over the next three years. According to Pick n Pay chairman Gareth Ackerman, the retailer hopes to bring young people into the world of work and expose them to the opportunities that retail provides to build a career. Speaking at the company’s AGM,
Travelstart and Pep have partnered to deliver a service that enables customers to pay for flights in more than 600 Pep stores nationwide. Named Pay@Pep, the partnership will make it easier for those customers who are looking for alternative ways to pay for their flights. Commenting on the partnership, Travelstart head of global partnerships Odette
Wirecard, the global innovation leader in the field of digital financial technology, is expanding its long-standing partnership with SAP, the global market leader in the segment of enterprise application software, to launch Wirecard Extension for SAP Commerce. SAP Customer Experience (former SAP Hybris) is a global provider of enterprise multichannel e-commerce and product content management
Walmart Inc. announced it is establishing a strategic partnership with Microsoft Corp. to further accelerate Walmart’s digital transformation in retail, empower its associates worldwide and make shopping faster and easier for millions of customers around the world. Through this partnership, Walmart has chosen Microsoft as its preferred and strategic cloud provider tapping into the full
German furniture and décor brand Kare has opened its first South African store in Kramerville, Johannesburg. The 1,000 square metre space is located on Appel Road and carries the brand’s extensive range of furniture, lighting and accessories. Having established a firm foothold in Europe, Asia and the Americas, the South African launch follows store openings
Fast food group Gold Brands plans to dispose of its Black Steer franchise business to Laudian Franchise Management One for R3.2 million. The move is expected to increase cashflow and reduce debt for the JSE-lister franchisor. In the group’s results to the end of February, released last week, revenue declined to R40.2 million from R142.8m
On this week’s episode of Marketplace Africa, CNN International’s Eleni Giokos meets Tertius Carstens, the CEO of Pioneer Foods. He outlines the company’s journey from its beginning in 1997 and describes some of the challenges the company has had to overcome. Carstens tells the programme how the company began: “The official starting point for Pioneer
The announcement by Tesco and Carrefour that they will enter into a long-term, strategic alliance is the latest in a series of consolidation between the major grocery retailers in Western Europe. The Alliance will cover the strategic relationship with global suppliers, the joint purchasing of own brand products and goods not for resale. It will
Pick n Pay is experimenting with compostable bags as an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic bags. To mark International Plastic Bag Free Day and as part of its efforts to reduce plastic waste, the retailer performed a one-day trial at its V&A Waterfront store to gauge customer reaction. The trial is intended to inform further
Fashion and lifestyle retailer TFG walked away with the prestigious “Retailer of the Year” award at the 2018 Canal Walk Retail Excellence Awards. The Group has 26 stores trading in the shopping centre, representing all of its local brands. Gavin Wood, the CEO of Canal Walk Shopping Centre, says that the annual Retail Excellence Awards
The pursuit of greater electronic payment adoption among South African merchants received a significant boost with the announcement of a partnership between leading African fintech holding company Crossfin Technology Holdings and global fund manager Apis Partners LLP. According to Anton Gaylard, COO of Crossfin, the partnership with Apis will create an enlarged payments operating company
Mobecom Limited is pleased to announce it has signed agreements with two of Spur Corporations’ (Spur) franchise brands, John Dory’s and Spur Steak Ranches. Mobecom announced on 30 November 2017 that it had entered into a Master Services Agreement with Spur (MSA), as Spur’s exclusive provider of customer loyalty technology for Spur’s 590+ franchise outlets
Spur Corporation is to expand its restaurant portfolio with the acquisition of a 51% stake in the fast-growing franchise restaurant group Nikos Coalgrill Greek. Nikos Coalgrill Greek currently operates six franchised restaurants, with a further four outlets confirmed to open in the coming months. The first Nikos Coalgrill Greek restaurant opened in Durban North in
South African kitchen and homeware store Yuppiechef is set to open its second physical store on 1 July 2018 in Gardens Shopping Centre in the Cape Town CBD. The new store launches just nine months after the first brick-and-mortar Yuppiechef store opened in Willowbridge, Tyger Valley, Cape Town. “Our first store has been incredibly well-supported,
Legwear specialists Falke South Africa will this month be establishing a retail presence in Australia, following an “extremely successful” visit to the country. “There are definitively great similarities between the target markets here in South Africa and in Australia. Our audiences share comparable lifestyles, which will provide a great fit for the Falke brand. We
Edcon, South Africa’s largest non-food retailer, has announced a renewed focus on its iconic brands, Edgars, Jet, CNA and the thank U offering. Various new strategies, the launch of new stores and enhanced product categories will strengthen the positioning of these brands in line with this renewed strategy. At an event held at the Edcon
Media24 will be the 51% owner of a new venture which will arise from a merger between Naspers-owned online fashion retailers Spree and Superbalist, the media company and Takealot announced on Monday. The merger of the two businesses into one entity seeks to create a “larger, more focused and economically sustainable platform on which to
Woolworths celebrates World Environment Day by announcing a number of measures to reduce plastic pollution as well as committing that by 2022 all of its own-brand plastic packaging will be reusable and recyclable. As the latest step in its Good Business Journey and in line with the Group’s vision to be one of the most
SPAR International has announced its entry into the Maltese retail market. Partnering with Malta’s leading FMCG company the Azzopardi Group, SPAR Malta will be part of SPAR International, the world’s largest food retail chain with over 12,777 stores in 48 countries and overall sales of up to €34.5 billion. The first store in Malta, a
Burger King SA announced that its 80th corporate restaurant has opened at the Kolonnade Retail Park in Tshwane on Friday, 8 June 2018. This is the 20th restaurant to be opened this financial year and the business is on track to open another 20 restaurants by the next financial year. Says Juan Klopper, COO of
Dis-Chem reaffirmed plans to open 200 stores in the next five years after making strong market share gains in the year to the end of February. In an investment presentation on Wednesday, Dis-Chem financial director Rui Morais said the company had increased market share across all categories. The dispensary business, which made up 36% of
Massmart’s second Urban Bookshelf has been launched in the township of Alexandra. The project, aimed at increasing access to books, is the second in a series of planned free miniature libraries across Johannesburg to promote reading and improve literacy. The first library was opened at Phefeni Recreation Centre in Orlando, Soweto in July 2017 and featured
This youth month Africa’s largest retailer is set to reach its target of empowering more than 12 000 youths (aged 18-29 years) to enter the retail sector or start their own business. Arguably the largest skills development initiative ever undertaken by a South African retailer, the Shoprite Group’s Retail Readiness programme launched in February 2016.
South Africa’s recently launched home improvement app, HomeFixer, has announced a partnership with Hirsch’s, one of South Africa’s most well-known independent home appliances and furniture store. HomeFixer Founder and Managing Director, Renaldo Bothma, says that the home improvement app is delighted to partner with one of South Africa’s most iconic brands: “We are proud to
The Competition Tribunal has conditionally approved the merger comprising a series of inter-related steps which will consequently confer Remgro International Holdings (RIH) with sole control of Capevin and, ultimately, Distell. RIH is wholly-owned by Remgro Ltd. The merger will see the creation of a new entity controlled by Remgro Beverages Pty (Ltd.) and was approved
Shoprite has announced the launch of Shoprite Money – a new mobile transactional banking service which is available to everyone in South Africa, even those without existing bank accounts. Using their Shoprite Money mobile wallet, this new service will enable customers to deposit, withdraw or send money as well as buy groceries at any of
SPAR South Africa’s Eastern Cape (EC) division has declared war on plastic bags as the retailer spearheads a significant step forward in the battle to protect the environment. In a move which has been hailed by environmental groups as a major development, the SPAR EC team have launched an initiative to urge customers to consider
Clicks Group will become the first major retailer in South Africa to provide fully employer-funded low-cost health insurance benefits for all its South African employees and the company’s CEO David Kneale is urging other corporates to follow suit in offering quality and affordable primary healthcare services to all staff. “While approximately 9 million South Africans
McDonald’s, along with its franchisees, in the UK and Ireland has selected Ingenico Group, the global leader in seamless payment, to handle the growth in demand for cashless transactions for the next five years. McDonald’s cites capacity, reliability, performance and security as the drivers for its Next Generation Cashless Solution. In the UK, electronic payments
Mastercard, Pick n Pay and FoodForward SA have announced a close working collaboration that is committed to donating 1.2 million meals to South Africans in need through an initiative called Tap to Feed. Between 07 May and 20 July 2018, every time a consumer makes a purchase at Pick n Pay with the ‘Tap &
Clicks Group reported continued strong growth in retail health and beauty sales, improved margins and robust cash flows for the six months to February 2018 as diluted headline earnings per share increased by 14.8%. Group turnover increased by 10% to R14.4 billion with the retailer generating cash inflows from operations of over R1.1 billion for
SPAR International, the world’s largest food retail voluntary chain, is delighted to announce the brand’s entry into the Sri Lankan retail market. SPAR Sri Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, a partnership between SPAR South Africa and Ceylon Biscuits Limited has announced ambitious plans to open 50 new SPAR stores in Sri Lanka by 2023 primarily by developing
More than 4 000 employees from the Shoprite Group’s fresh food departments will be upskilled as a result of the retailer’s latest training programme, which delineates a clear career path for all those working in, among others, its bakeries, delis, and fish departments. At the centre of this programme is the assistant chefs training course
Vivo Energy Uganda has opened seven new Shell service stations in Uganda, bringing the total country network number to 140 service stations to date. Vivo Energy Uganda, the company that distributes and markets Shell branded fuels and lubricants, has invested in a programme to expand its retail network in Uganda as well as upgrade existing
Four years ago, Walmart changed the money transfer game with the introduction of Walmart2Walmart – a domestic money transfer service that offered dramatically lower costs that has since saved customers nearly $700 million in fees. Now, with MoneyGram International, Walmart is bringing its game-changing model to the global wire service market, with the launch of
Mobile Checkout, powered by the Macy’s app and designed to speed the in-store checkout process, is now slated for a nationwide rollout to all full-line stores by the end of this year. In addition, an augmented reality furniture shopping experience will be incorporated into the Macy’s app with a rollout beginning in April. Macy’s is
The Shoprite Group has launched a discount buying card to assist welfare organisations in their bid to stay afloat amidst trying economic times. The Act For Change card gives qualifying non-profit organisations (NPOs) access to a 5% discount across various Shoprite Group outlets. The NPOs have 30 days to pay with no interest. Further benefits
Mastercard has completed its acquisition of mobile payments technology company Oltio from Standard Bank Group. The acquisition builds on Mastercard’s longstanding relationship with Oltio, a startup that pioneered and patented several mobile payments and banking solutions, including an authentication technology. Today, that technology enables consumers to authenticate Masterpass digital wallet purchases in South Africa using
Local retailers have been under severe pressure these past couple of years, and 2018 promises no respite. Weak economic growth, regulatory changes and a fluctuating rand continue to ail the industry, while inflation (anticipated to be around 5%) erodes consumers’ disposable income. Given this reality, it could be expected that many retailers would pass on
Pizza Hut Restaurants has announced that it will roll out Mastercard’s Qkr! with Masterpass into its UK restaurants from March 19th. Diners at Pizza Hut restaurants across the country will be able to pay through their mobile without having to ask a waiter for the bill, saving them 12 minutes on average. Qkr! is a
The Shoprite Group produced an industry-leading performance in the 26 weeks to 31 December 2017 with growth in turnover, profit and market share. According to Chief Executive, Pieter Engelbrecht, “Results were boosted by a strong performance in our core South African supermarket operations, which grew turnover by 7.8%.” This helped offset a 0.4% decline in
