Woolworths certainly isn’t crying over spilt milk after the annual 2022 SA Dairy Championships! Up against dairy heavyweights in the industry, Woolworths has once again exceeded expectations by taking home 99 of this year’s most prestigious awards. With a wide variety of award winning and innovative dairy products, it’s no wonder Woolies stole the show
Until the 26th of March 2020, when South Africa entered the COVID-19 induced hard lockdown, the week after the 25th of the month was the busiest week for retailers. Also known as payday week, sales were 11.6% higher than any other week of the month followed by the first week of the month that was
SmartWage, an innovative HR and communications technology startup, has raised USD$2 million (R29m). The oversubscribed seed funding round was raised to support SmartWage’s vision of transforming Africa’s workforce through digital inclusion, particularly for frontline employees like cashiers, restaurant staff, security personnel, and healthcare workers. SmartWage is giving enterprises a simple yet effective way to digitise
Months of much behind-the-scenes work has resulted in the full integration of Baby City into the Dis-Chem operations. “There has been a comprehensive focus on reinforcing the Baby City brand, which was already well-established as the unrivalled leader in its category, while strengthening the offering to shoppers to continually improve the Baby City customer experience,”
Opinion Piece: By Raeford Liebenberg, Manager at Silvermoon, a Galix company South Africa’s hospitality sector was hard-hit by the 2020 lockdowns and is still feeling the impact two years later. Even though restrictions have lifted somewhat, international tourism is a fraction of what it was. This means that the market is more competitive than ever,
The numbers speak for themselves. Prioritising customer experience and delivering a good end-to-end customer journey can and will positively impact your business and make it a key differentiator from your competitors. It is no surprise that customer experience (CX) is becoming a priority for businesses that realise that retaining and growing their customer base goes
Krispy Kreme doughnuts are now available at even more convenient store locations nationwide thanks to a partnership with FreshStop, SA’s largest and fastest-growing convenience store retail brand. The agreement sees the prominent doughnut brand expanding its national footprint and further growing its South African customer base. The brand’s ethos of ‘hand-crafted doughnuts, delivered fresh daily’
According to a new calculation confirmed by the Automobile Association of South Africa (AA), it’s cheaper for many South Africans to get groceries delivered via Sixty60 than to drive to stores themselves. With another petrol price increase expected on Wednesday 6 April, Checkers has calculated that the average Sixty60 customer saves 33% on fuel and
Checkers is opening its first new format Checkers Foods supermarket in the Western Cape, bringing top quality food and exclusive brands to the historic town of Franschhoek. The 1 000m² Checkers Foods store has a unique look-and-feel designed to honour the style and charm of Franschhoek and the architecture of the building in which it
The Group has acquired 51% of Lexi’s Healthy Eatery (“Lexi’s”) with effect from 1 April 2022. Lexi’s, whose slogan is “Eat more plants”, is a casual dining restaurant (“CDR”) brand, offering a full-service, sit-down, plantbased dining experience across all key day parts: breakfast, lunch and dinner. The acquisition pertains to the franchise and central kitchen
Mtembeni Jange (39), from Umtata in the Eastern Cape, discovered his passion for retail – specifically the buying and selling of goods – while participating in Entrepreneurship Day as a teenager in high school. After finishing school, he pursued his dream and enrolled for a 1-year Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority (WRSETA)
By Andrew Dawson, MD of MACmobile The pandemic caused a rapid acceleration of digital channels across all spaces, and the retail sector is no different. However, while most of the focus has been on the customer-facing side, there is a lot of benefit that could be gained from taking the consumerization of technology into the
The war in Ukraine has added concerns to an already tense cybersecurity environment. What’s more, recent international coverage about scammers using QR codes to misdirect funds is fuelling fraud uncertainty. But South African consumers, while wise to remain vigilant, are well protected if they stick to a few simple QR guidelines. Quick Response or QR
By effectively rolling out relevant renewables e-learning programmes at the company, organisational and TVET college level, the country can create thousands of jobs and thrive The renewable energy sector now employs more than 12-million people globally, with projections that this number will grow to 25-million by 2030 and at least 43-million by 2050. According to
As the pandemic shifted the retail landscape and pre-pandemic trends accelerated, new consumer behaviours evolved and market share see-sawed precariously. So to, loyalty benefit programs were placed centre stage as retailers had to examine the relevance thereof and how to innovatively retain and grow their relationship with customers. It’s been said that customer satisfaction is
Herbivore Earthfoods is the first investment by Tiger Brands’ Venture Capital Fund. The fund was set up by food and beverage company Tiger Brands in mid-2021. It is meant to support up and coming consumer brands in the food and beverage sector. The fund says it plans to invest between R2 million and R20 million per
Feelers indicate that Amazon may now be ready to explore what the continent has to offer on the e-commerce front but the nous and experience of indigenous giants such as Konga will come in handy if it is not to stumble heavily in Africa’s biggest market It is no longer news that global e-commerce giant,
Plascon is proud to introduce the newly launched Plascon Store, an e-commerce platform tailor-made for retailers and contractors. In 2020, the leading coatings brand debuted its new visual identity and a plethora of advanced products. Continuing the path of reinvention, Plascon is the first in its sector to provide a Business-to-Business digitally optimised platform. Plascon’s
Despite the numerous obstacles faced over the past 24 months by the red meat industry, and indeed the entire South African agricultural sector, this year’s Cleaver Awards have proven that not only does this industry remain robust, but that our butchery standards are still amongst the best in the world. Now in their 17th year,
Covid-19 has shifted the world into the next normal, with new consumer behaviour patterns emerging in response to the changing dynamics of the pandemic. To keep up, South African retailers should embrace a multi-dimensional retail approach that connects the dots between digital and in-store experiences. In this market, a one-dimensional approach may not be enough
Strong growth in both the regional and international businesses contributed to RFG increasing group turnover by 20.0% in the first 22 weeks of the 2022 financial year. The results include an additional trading week relative to the prior period and excluding the impact of this 22nd week, group turnover increased by approximately 15.2%. CEO Pieter
The over 10 million unemployed South Africans benefitting from the R350 COVID-19 relief grant will now have greater accessibility as the Shoprite Group has stepped in to make grant payments available at its 1 286 supermarkets across South Africa. Following the extension of the grant for another 12 months, customers can now access it at
Food and beverage company PepsiCo has launched the Kgodiso Development Fund, a five-year, R600 million investment to help transform the food system in South Africa. It will look to create ‘shared value’ solutions that ultimately help build a sustainable food system by creating local employment opportunities and increasing local procurement and supplier diversity. “PepsiCo aims
Checkers Sitari and the entire Sitari Village Mall located close to Somerset West, Cape Town have become South Africa’s first premium supermarket and shopping centre to run entirely off renewable energy from wind and solar sources. This is part of Checkers’ ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability and comes as the retailer launches an environmental campaign
Second-hand products, more sustainable brands and the ongoing delivery revolution are just some of the leading trends that are currently impacting the development of the e-commerce sector and which will be unpacked at ECOM Africa in Cape Town from 4-5 May. This will be the eighth edition of this flagship, specialist gathering in the e-commerce, retail and fintech
Amidst growing consumer interest in plant-based foods and more sustainable living, RCL FOODS and US-based LIVEKINDLY Collective are proud to announce the establishment of a local plant-based joint venture, LIVEKINDLY Collective Africa, which was approved last week by the Competition Commission. The joint venture will market, sell and distribute all of LIVEKINDLY Collective’s brands –
In celebration of International Women’s Day, Woolworths Holdings Limited (WHL) is proud to announce that it has become the first major South African retailer to be a signatory to the United Nations (UN) Women Empowerment Principles. Developed in partnership with the United Nations Women and the UN Global Compact Office, the Women Empowerment Principles (WEP)
Muungamunwe resident Dzhavhelo Mudau has risen through the ranks at the Shoprite Group and was recently promoted to Divisional Financial Manager at OK Furniture. Passionate about accounting and mathematics, Dzhavhelo set his sights on attending university and moved to Johannesburg in 2014. With support from the Thuthuka Bursary Programme, of which the Group was a
South African companies are inherently innovative and many local brands are keen to engage with new technologies to better serve their customers. Mobile communications and Chat Commerce specialist, Clickatell, looks at the rapid growth of Chat Commerce in South Africa and shares some advice for companies considering adding chat to their omni-channel offering. The days
When you give your sales team the right tools to effectively and efficiently manage clients and build a relationship with them, you positively impact your bottom line. 1Stream’s smart CRM is specifically designed to do just that and has helped transform organisations across various sectors in Southern Africa, which understand the value of building meaningful
By integrating its offering with Eats and utilising the Uber Direct services, YUMBI has added a critical delivery component to its data-rich, fully integrated online ordering and customer intelligence solution for multi-location quick service restaurants (QSRs). Leveraging its ten years of industry expertise, YUMBI partners with multi-location QSR brands to ensure they deliver the high-quality
Key information – continuing operations • Sale of merchandise increased by 10.0% to R91.1 billion • Diluted headline earnings per share (DHEPS) increased by 25.2% to 519.3 cents (restated* H1 2021: 414.8 cents) • Adjusted DHEPS** increased by 32.5% to 536.3 cents (restated* H1 2021: 404.8 cents) • The interim dividend per share declared increased
60% top consumer goods have experienced price increases above inflation South African shoppers are becoming masters of mindful shopping and restraint Amidst the ongoing fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftershocks of creeping cost pressures and higher basket spend, NielsenIQ analysis of its South African Retailer Measurement Service data has revealed that almost 60%
Philip Morris South Africa (PMSA) has appointed Buena Barnes as its new Financial Director. The appointment underpins the organisation’s goal to replace cigarettes with less harmful alternatives for those who choose to continue using tobacco, as soon as possible. “As a company we are leading the transformation of the industry in our pursuit to go
By Andrew Dawson, MD of MACmobile Spaza shops are the heart and soul of many communities, and they have the potential to be so much more, thanks to technology. Mobile technology solutions can help these traders not only move more toward a more advanced trading marketplace, but also help them to become increasingly self-sustainable, spreading
Two South African fintechs, alternative lender Merchant Capital and online payment specialist Payflex, have launched a cash advance solution that aims to breathe new life into South Africa’s growing small and mid-sized retail sector. Known as FlexiAdvance powered by Merchant Capital, the offering is customised and backed by technology to allow access to funding within
The Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) has criticised the decision by the government to increase the sugar levy by 2.31 cents per gram saying it will result in unintended consequences of job losses and further contribute to many sustainable farmers losing their livelihoods. CGCSA was responding to the announcement by the Minister of
While there is still a significant disconnect in South Africa between digital-savvy shoppers and those who make purchases in-store, the pandemic and lockdown conditions have narrowed the gap. That does not mean retailers can rest on their laurels when it comes to the customer experience. Research shows that given the variety of apps available to
The Shoprite Group is further expanding its support of KwaZulu-Natal communities by investing in an additional 30 food gardens in the province. This builds on the success of the more than 15 gardens – including Thubelihle Special Opportunity School and Hlabana Magalele Supplies – in the province already supported by Shoprite. The retailer is incubating
South African online shoe store, DC.ONE releases a brand new app for both iOS and Google Play devices. Available for download from February 2022, customers in South Africa and SADC countries will have instant access to their favourite footwear styles from their mobile devices. Since the majority of the traffic to the site is from
Spur Corporation increased headline earnings by 119.4% to R59 million in the six months to December 2021 as trading conditions improved with the easing of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and the strong increase in restaurant foot traffic in the last few months of 2021. Group revenue grew by 40.3% to R441 million due to improved franchised
While AI and Machine to Machine (M2M) technology are nothing new, they are being deployed with greater speed and efficiency, and in more contexts within the South African payments and e-commerce environment. According to Andrew Springate, CEO of tech and financial gateway service provider PAYM8, the real potential of these technologies is just starting to
Weaver Fintech, a new division of omni-channel retailer Homechoice International (HiL), has made its first acquisition, buying an 85% stake in Cape Town-based buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) start-up PayJustNow. HiL is an investment holding company, focused on fintech and omni-channel retail through its subsidiaries. It is incorporated in Mauritius and listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. According
By Andrew Dawson, MD of MACmobile Bulk breakers are a mainstay of the South African retail market, acting as a bridge between wholesalers and small main market retailers. However, as they are typically traditional bricks and mortar stores, it is difficult to build any sort of customer profiling unless they have active loyalty programmes. This
Usave opened a new supermarket in Wesbank, Cape Town this week, creating new jobs for residents from the area. Usave Wesbank offers customers unrivalled value for money with a good range of quality, everyday products and services including Ubrand, Usave’s own product range which guarantees 100% quality and satisfaction. Customers can also save time by
SPAR Group Ltd South Africa earned the Top Employers South Africa 2022 certification for the ninth consecutive year. The company considers it an honour to be counted in the world’s top organisations through this recognition. The retention of the valued accolade bears testimony to SPAR South Africa’s focus on people practices and processes. The continuous
As the retail landscape shifts, staff training will become ever more important to business owners and managers, says New Leaf Technologies. The need for retailers to adapt to the ever-changing dynamic of the sector requires that everyone within their businesses is brought up to speed as quickly as possible. Particularly with the move towards online
Trading conditions continued to be impacted by various levels of COVID-19 restaurant trading restrictions in the six months to 31 December 2021 (“the period”), including a prohibition on sit-down trade in July 2021. These challenging conditions were exacerbated by widespread civil unrest in specifically KwaZulu-Natal (“KZN”) in the second week of July 2021. This resulted
The predictions for this year’s South African dry bean harvest range from negative outlooks from farmers heavily affected by the rains, to positive reviews based on recently released data by industry leaders. As of the end of January 2022 many predict that the total 2021/22 summer crop plantings were at 4,21 million hectares, which is
There has been a shift from desktop to mobile as Africa embraces the m-commerce shopping experience. Smollan, retail specialist, unpacks what m-commerce means to the African retail market and what retailers need to do to stay relevant and benefit from this movement. In these quick-connection times, Africa’s mobile economy is on the move as shoppers
