Takealot Group Appoints Mamongae Mahlare as New Group Chief Executive

The Group also announces additional key leadership appointments Takealot Group has appointed Mamongae Mahlare as its new Group Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 October 2021. Her appointment follows the announcement that Kim Reid will transition to Chairman, Takealot Group, during the course of this year, where he will focus on the group’s longer-term growth ambitions.

MoData’s Agtech Solutions Boost Growth in Africa’s Agricultural Sector

With Africa fast becoming a global leader in the agtech space, MoData’s value propositions offer smart solutions for the sector. Agriculture has always been key to Africa’s economic growth. It accounts for 14 per cent of Africa’s GDP, 52 per cent of the continent’s workforce, and 70 per cent of the population’s livelihoods. New research

Famous Brands | Appointment of Group Financial Director and Changes to Board Committees

Further to the announcement released by the Company on 11 June 2021 relating to the resignation of Ms Lebo Ntlha, the Group Financial Director, effective 30 November 2021, shareholders are advised that in terms of paragraph 3.59 of the Listing Requirements of the JSE Limited, Mr Deon Fredericks has been appointed as Group Financial Director

Woolworths Holdings Looks to The Future with Bold Sustainability Goals

These new goals focus on traceability, transparency, circularity, diversity and inclusivity as well energy and carbon emissions. In line with its vision to be one of the world’s most responsible retailers, Woolworths Holdings Limited (WHL) is proud to announce its next set of ambitious Good Business Journey sustainability goals. These include future-focused, measureable targets aimed

Pick n Pay asap! Is The New and Improved Bottles on Demand Delivery Service

Online deliveries operating smoothly following KZN and Gauteng unrest Pick n Pay has relaunched and rebranded its popular on demand delivery service, Bottles, as Pick n Pay asap! To celebrate the rebranding, Pick n Pay asap! will offer unlimited free deliveries on all orders throughout the month of August. “Our customers are thoroughly enjoying the

SPAR South Africa Rebuilds Looted Stores and Supports Local Communities

SPAR retailers in South Africa affected by recent civil unrest and looting have “expressed a firm commitment to start again”, said SPAR South Africa Group CEO Brett Botten in an update. The Group’s update issued on the current state of its business as of 22 July, noted the extent of the impact on its operations in KwaZulu-Natal

MACmobile | Mobile Money is Set to Take South Africa by Storm – is the Trading Environment Ready for the Change?

By Jaco Saunders, Commercial Director at MACmobile Mobile money has seen massive uptake in Africa over the last decade, however, South Africa has lagged due to the country’s stringent banking legislation, which has been a significant barrier to entry. However, the potential for mobile money solutions cannot be ignored, and financial institutions are partnering with

Pick n Pay Smart Shoppers Given a ‘Lift’

Loyalty programme teams up with LIFT Airline to offer passengers added benefits  Pick n Pay Smart Shopper loyalty members have another way of earning loyalty points, this time on all their travel bookings with South Africa’s newest flexible airline, LIFT. Smart Shopper members who book a LIFT flight online or in-store at any Pick n

Smollan | Ecommerce, An Essential Element of Retail

A ‘COVID-19 and E-Commerce’ survey by Netcomm Suisse and UNCTAD that focused on nine emerging and developed economies, reported on how the pandemic changed the way consumers use ecommerce and digital solutions. More than half of the respondent’s now shop online more frequently with consumers in emerging economies having made the biggest shift to online

Braintree is Guiding Africa’s Retail Sector on Their Digital Transformation Journey

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

Pick n Pay’s Progress in Recovering from the Social Unrest

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,

Shoprite: Voluntary Announcement in Relation to South African Social and Political Unrest

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

Walmart, the Walmart Foundation and Massmart Commit R13 Million to Aid Recovery Efforts in KwaZulu-Natal

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

Tiger Brands Largest Black Female Owned Aggregator of Small White Beans Wants to Feed the Nation

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

Engen’s Footprint Flourishing as Company Targets Ambitious Growth in Botswana

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

Smollan | Six Retail Trends 2021

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

Famous Brands | Impact of Civil Unrest on Group Operations

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

The Shoprite Group Gives Assurance on Stock Levels

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

SPAR South Africa Advises Deliveries are Commencing and Stores Re-opening Following Civil Unrest

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

KZN and Gauteng Unrest: Citrus Industry Rolling Out a Recovery Plan to Continue Exports

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

South African Recycling Platform Recognised As One of the Global Winners of the Nestlé’s 2021 Creating Shared Value Prize

$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

Game Prioritises Stock and Delivery of Essential Goods

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 Acquires Frozen Foods Business from Pioneer Foods

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

Cellulant Introduces Tingg, a Digital Payments Platform for the Retail Sector in Zambia

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

KZN Unrest: SA Canegrowers Calls on Government to Declare a State of Emergency

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.

NFC Versus QR Code Payments – There’s Room for Both

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

Pick n Pay Adds Capacity in Response to High Online Demand During Lockdown

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

Coca-Cola to Open New Digital Delivery Center in Johannesburg

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.

Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) Condemns Destruction of Property and Looting

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

redPanda | The Recipe for Success: Key Ingredients for a Successful Partnership Between Retailers and Software Developers

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

Consumer Goods Council of South Africa Criticises Government Decision to Ban Liquor Sales

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

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

e4 | Digital Transformation Should be About the Customer, Not the Technology

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

DigitalMall.com Partners with Netcore Cloud to Reinforce Commitment Towards Enhancing Customer Experience

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

Beyond the Pandemic, Growth Opportunities Abound for South Africa’s Cosmetics Industry

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 Launches Same-Day On-Demand Delivery Service

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

MACmobile Opinion Piece: Revolutionising the Informal Retail Space Through Digital Transformation

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

SPAR South Africa launches 2021 Women’s Virtual Challenge

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

Zapper Helps Canal Walk Improve Customer Experience, Reduce Cash Requirements

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 Partners with Krispy Kreme, Includes Sixty60 Deliveries

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

Smollan Thought Leadership | Future of Roadside Retail

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 Opens 40th Supermarket in Zambia

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

Clickatell | Chat Commerce Set to Disrupt E-commerce and Other Emerging Trends

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

Bayer Continues to Create Value and Impact Through Innovation, Sustainability and CSE

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,

3D Secure 2.0 Upgrades the Customer Experience for eCommerce Merchants and Customers

Developed more than ten years ago, 3D Secure 1 was welcomed, but not exactly user-friendly, widely adopted and recognised when a pop-up window appeared with ‘Verified by Visa’ (later rebranded as Visa Secure), ‘SecureCode’ from Mastercard of Safekey from Amex. The system was somewhat convoluted, complex and was often plagued by compatibility issues. A protocol

Tribunal Confirms Consent Agreement: Pick N Pay Exclusivity Provisions in Lease Agreements Immediately Scrapped Against Privately Black-Owned Supermarkets, Small Businesses and Speciality Stores

Supermarkets that are privately owned and controlled by historically disadvantaged persons (“HDP Supermarkets”) can immediately access letting space in all shopping centres where a Pick n Pay store has exclusivity provisions in its lease agreement. The abovementioned HDP Supermarkets can be single or multiple store operations as long as they are privately owned and controlled

Famous Brands | Resignation of Group Financial Director

Shareholders are advised, in terms of section 3.59 of the Listings Requirements of the JSE Limited, that Kelebogile (Lebo) Ntlha has resigned as Group Financial Director of Famous Brands, effective 30 November 2021 to pursue other endeavours. The board of directors (“the Board”) would like to thank Lebo for her dedication, hard work and commitment