South African retailers have come to regard quick access to financing as key—and a new breed of agile fintech has emerged to respond to these demands. These progressive providers of finance offer retailers access to opportunity capital so that they can move rapidly in response to emerging business trends. That’s according to Steven Heilbron, CEO
The V&A Waterfront warmly welcomes visitors to the renovated Alfred Mall; aiming to redefine the African retail shopping experience. The newly refurbished Alfred Mall, which adjoins the Victoria & Alfred Hotel in the Quays District in the heart of the V&A Waterfront, has reopened its doors in time for the festive season. The revamped Alfred
Cash remains one of South African consumers’ favourite ways to pay because it’s convenient, easy, and offers low transaction costs for customers and retailers alike. That means that every small and medium sized retailer should be preparing itself to manage an influx of cash over the festive season as consumers splash out on treats and
The Covid-19 pandemic forced organisations to shift their focus to digital and e-commerce environments. Those that already had a digital presence and e-commerce capabilities have had an advantage over those laggards struggling to play catch up. Supporting the growth of e-commerce are new market entrants and solutions which are actively shaping the digital payments space.
The Tribunal has conditionally approved the proposed merger whereby Clover S.A. (Pty) Ltd (“Clover”) intends to acquire the business and assets used or owned by Dairy Farmers of South Africa (Pty) Ltd (“DFSA”), in relation to the procurement and supply of regular raw milk to Clover (“Milk Procurement Business”). The conditions imposed on the merger
Massmart has implemented a significant technology enablement and logistics network reconfiguration project over the past 4 years that has contributed to increased stock availability across its Game, Makro and Builders stores. This has proven to be a timely intervention at a time when supply chains locally and globally have faced a number of headwinds, including
The Futuregrowth Community Property Fund (“Comprop”) has acquired KG Mall, which brings the Comprop portfolio to 23 shopping centres, with a total gross lettable area of more than 392 000m2 valued in excess of R6.6 billion. KG Mall is a quality shopping centre situated at the entrance to the Kwa-Guqa township in Emalahleni, which is approximately
The Tribunal has approved, with conditions, the proposed merger wherein Shoprite Supermarkets (Pty) Ltd (“Shoprite”) intends to acquire certain retail supermarket stores, wholesale and retail liquor stores, wholesale stores and the Massfresh business from Massmart Holdings Limited (“Massmart”). The conditions imposed by the Tribunal seek to address identified competition and public interest concerns and include
Sarah Moseley, head of vertical solutions and business development, retail and consumer goods at BT, shares her insights on how retail and consumer goods businesses can strategically leverage their digital transformation ambitions to retain consumer loyalty, and empower consumer purchasing decisions and repeat business. By supporting real-time decision-making, combining edge computing with digital signage improves
The South African retail space has seen some dramatic changes in a relatively short time. Online shopping has become the new normal bringing with it new payment opportunities and some key challenges yet to be overcome. In this fast-changing landscape it is important for merchants to find their preferred e-commerce partner of choice who will
By Darijan Bošković, Sales Director: Africa at Infobip The African continent is widely considered retail’s next big gold rush, based on its population of 1.4 billion people, which includes more than 500 million internet users and over 330 million eCommerce consumers. Additionally, with 19 of the top 20 fastest-growing countries in the world, the continent’s
Hot on the heels of yet another interest rate increase adding more yet squeeze on businesses and consumers alike, South Africans showed they still have an appetite for retail spend, with data from leading omnichannel payment solutions provider Ecentric Payment System’s 2022 Black Friday Payment Gateway Dashboard showing whopping increases in both transactions volume and
Makro Pietermaritzburg store officially re-opened its doors to customers and traders on 23 November. “We have been inundated with requests from the Pietermaritzburg community to re-open the store and have gone through an extensive renovation project over the last 12 months to give them an even better shopping experience at Makro. During the rebuild, we
Leading retail group Truworths International will list its shares for trade on A2X Markets from 5 December 2022. Truworths will retain its listings on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) and neither of these listings, nor Truworths’ issued share capital, will be affected by the secondary listing on A2X. Truworths is
By 2025 the value of ecommerce transactions in SA is expected to reach R225bn as reported by IOL. The market itself is estimated to reach R400bn the same year, facilitated by more than 1 billion transactions annually, pushed by the ‘convenience factor’ as consumers found their fit during the long days of lockdown. Add to
ECONOFOODS™ a highly successful provider of frozen and chilled foods plus a wide variety of grocery products has selected leading warehouse management software (WMS) specialist, CQuential Solutions to fulfil its warehouse management needs as it expands its distribution network. ECONOFOODS™ currently has seven distribution centres and twenty-seven retail outlets that span six provinces in South
Naspers Limited (JSE: NPN) has announced a solid set of results for the first half of the year. Despite a turbulent period during which industry growth expectations and valuations came under significant pressure, we have increased ecommerce revenues and continued organic investment into those segments where we see the highest growth potential. This investment is
RFG Holdings increased headline earnings by 57% to R361 million in the year to September 2022 as its international division capitalised on higher global demand for canned fruit products and delivered a strong recovery in profitability. The Western-Cape based food producer, which owns market-leading brands Rhodes, Bull Brand, Magpie, Squish, Hinds and Today, increased revenue
Lewis Group increased merchandise sales by 4.3% to R2.1 billion in the six months to September 2022 as trading conditions weakened significantly in the second quarter of the financial year. Credit sales grew by 16.4% while cash sales declined by 8.1%, reflecting the pressure on consumer disposable income. The group increased headline earnings by 4.4%
Health and beauty retailer Clicks Group is to acquire Sorbet Holdings, the owners of the national chain of Sorbet beauty salons, for R105 million. The Sorbet Group is a beauty salon franchise chain of over 190 outlets across South Africa, operating under the Sorbet (all-round beauty therapy), Sorbet Man (men’s grooming) and Candi & Co
This voluntary announcement is issued in conjunction with the Shoprite Holdings Annual General Meeting and serves to update shareholders on the Group’s first quarter period ended September 20220(“the first quarter”, “the period”). The Group Increased sales for the first quarter by 18.6%. Excluding RSA LiquorShop, the Group increased sales by 15.9%. It is worth noting
Leading South African retailer Woolworths Holdings Limited (WHL) will list their shares for trade on A2X Markets (A2X) from 2 December 2022. WHL will retain its primary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and its issued share capital will be unaffected by its secondary listing on A2X. A2X is a licensed stock exchange that provides a secondary
Pick n Pay will deliver its biggest and strongest Black Friday deals as it moves to offer deals perfectly suited to its customers under its two supermarket brands and growing online presence. Added into the offering this year will be deals offered by its new homeware online shop. Black Friday has become Pick n Pay’s
Nestlé announced today that it is partnering with the Africa Food Prize to help accelerate the transformation of food systems in Africa, as a way of strengthening the continent’s food security and building greater climate change resilience. The Africa Food Prize awards USD 100,000 to individuals and institutions that are pioneering agricultural and food systems
Pick n Pay Home offers new and exclusive online-only products and customers get an impressive new Smart Shopper benefit Customers across South Africa will now be able to shop online at a brand-new Pick n Pay Home shop for a range of exciting new products that will only be available online. The new online shop will be
Checkers is rolling out new shopping trolley baskets made from 100% recycled plastic – mostly old milk bottles – thereby diverting more than 40 tons of recyclable material from landfill. The retailer’s trolleys have contained at least 35% recycled content since 2018. Now it is the first major South African retailer to have trolley baskets made
Tapping into the value of the South African sports fan market, Nielsen Sports has announced the launch of its latest offering FanLinks, which combines purchase behaviour of South African households with their interest across sports and entertainment, offering a new way of identifying the brands sports fans are buying. Since sport is such a personal
By Kabelo Ngwane, Head of Customer Success at Infobip Despite tough economic conditions, such as surging inflation and the rising cost of living that are forcing consumers to tighten their belts, South African retailers are preparing to cash in on the busiest day of the year for retail sales – Black Friday. However, experts warn
As South African shoppers and retailers prepare for Black Friday and the festive season, cyber criminals are casting increasingly wider – and more sophisticated – nets. Gilchrist Mushwana, Director at BDO South Africa and Head of Cybersecurity Service Line, discusses phishing and what retailers must do to guard against this threat to ensure that their
Makro Alberton has revamped its newly transformed store to give customers a new and improved shopping experience with the latest technology. Officially launched in 2013, the store was established to service the communities of Alberton and the southern suburbs. As the energy crisis persists nationally – the retailer will also be the first to offer
RCS, the consumer finance arm of global bank, BNP Paribas has announced its most recent partnership with Bounty Brands – the holding company behind some of South Africa’s most ubiquitous clothing names. This strategic development aligns with its aims to make store credit more widely accessible to the broader South African market by expanding its
The Shoprite Group’s near-term science-based greenhouse-gas (GHG) emission reduction targets have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). In its Target Validation Report, the SBTi stated it commends the Group’s “ambitious 1.5°C-aligned target, currently the most ambitious designation available through the SBTi process”. The SBTi mobilises companies to set science-based targets. It is a partnership
2022 has been a transformational year for eCommerce at Massmart following initiatives that have significantly improved the online customer experience across the group’s shopping websites and apps. One result is that Massmart will maintain its 2-5 day delivery promise during the year-end peak trading period that includes Black Friday and the festive season – a
With the imminent arrival of the Black Friday promotion frenzy, NielsenIQ has analysed the dominance of this shopping phenomenon and found that Black Friday was bigger than the traditional festive season purchase week in December 2021. In fact, during Black Friday, more than half the volume of all FMCG products was sold on promotion, equating
Pick n Pay has unveiled its new flagship store in Cape Town. The Waterstone store in Somerset West will be the model for what customers can come to expect at all revamped Pick n Pay stores in the future. This follows the announcement earlier this year that Pick n Pay would be organised into two
Spur Steak Ranches, South Africa’s favourite restaurant, has joined forces with SA Rugby to become the Official Restaurant of the Springboks. The iconic brand resumes its partnership, having agreed to a deal that will see the well-known restaurant chain partner with SA Rugby until the end of 2024. Spur’s links with the Springboks stretch back to the
The Shoprite Group made its second minority investment in a South African tech start-up this year. In the most recent transaction, the retailer is among a group of companies, led by Buffet Investments and KLT, in an undisclosed expansion round in Omnisient, Africa’s first privacy-preserving data collaboration platform provider. “We are excited by local start-ups that
Moolman Group has successfully opened three developments – two new shopping centres and one retail redevelopment – in two days. Hebron Mall in the North West province, and Matsamo Mall in Buffelspruit and Merino Mall in Ermelo, both in Mpumalanga, opened successfully last week. In addition to introducing valuable retail infrastructure in exceptional environments that
By Lebo Mothobi-Tilo, Marketing Director, Tetra Pak South Africa In 2019 alone, one third of all food produced globally was lost or wasted. That’s 1.3 billion tons of food worth R18 trillion according to estimates from the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). If food loss and waste (FLW) were a country, it would be the
By Gareth Ackerman, co-chair of the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) As politics takes over ahead of the general elections in 2024, the government’s inertia on policy-making, its lack of decision-making and inability to deal with the country’s challenges threaten to under the hard work business is putting into growing the economy. The government
Pick n Pay Stores Limited has been approved for a secondary listing on A2X Markets (A2X). Its shares will be available for trade on A2X from 1 November 2022. The Pick n Pay Group, with a market cap of around R27 billion, will retain its primary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and its
The Group delivered a positive performance in its first trading period under its new Ekuseni strategic plan, launched in May 2022. Group turnover was up 11.5% year-on-year. Even when normalising for disruptions in the base period – due to the civil unrest, and Covid-19 liquor restrictions last year – Group turnover increased by an encouraging
Group turnover increased by 6.0% to R39.6 billion, with headline earnings per share increasing by 33.5% Adjusting for the financial impact of the KwaZulu-Natal civil unrest and related insurance payments received by the group, headline earnings from continuing operations grew by 11.9%. The group generated cash inflows from operations of R4.3 billion and the return
Standard Bank has partnered with Woolworths Holdings Limited to successfully execute the first sustainability-linked transactional deposit structure in South Africa. The transactional deposit structure links the interest Woolworths earns on their deposits to the achievement of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) targets. The KPIs and sustainability performance targets (SPTs) agreed between Woolworths and Standard Bank,
The co-chairman of the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) Gareth Ackerman today said the private sector cannot longer wait for government to solve the country’s worsening infrastructure crisis because the state is failing to deliver. Addressing the annual summit of the CGCSA in Sandton, Ackerman said businesses will have to provide solutions than
Massmart has joined forces with local Fintech, Retail Capital, providing access to funding to small, medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa. Retail Capital is one of the country’s leading alternative funders and a leader in Fintech solutions. “There are approximately 2.6 million SMEs in South Africa contributing 34% to GDP, however many still struggle to
Shoprite’s mobile application, with the Money Market Account functionality at its core, is the winner of Most Innovative Solution and App of the Year at this year’s MTN Business App of the Year Awards. The app supports Shoprite’s Money Market Account, a fully-fledged, transactional bank account – the first by a SA retailer – and the lowest-cost bank
In the age of big data, the Shoprite Group is at the forefront of innovating with artificial intelligence (AI). As one of the world’s leanest and most advanced retailers here are three leading innovations which have had a marked impact on the Group’s operations as it continues to create the best possible customer experience: Ensuring
Black Friday is the most anticipated shopping day of the year, with many consumers planning ahead to make the most of discounted deals. For retailers, Black Friday and Cyber Monday mark the beginning of the festive shopping season and are an opportunity to boost and maximise revenue and attract new customers to their brands with irresistible
30% of FMCG product currently sold on promotion SA shoppers halve shopping trips Shoppers prioritise retailers with best overall basket offer The latest NielsenIQ State of the Retail Nation report which reflects data measured over the four weeks to the beginning of September 2022, has found that shoppers have halved the number of times they
