AI Stepping in to Support COVID-affected Hoteliers, Restauranteurs and Retailers

Eskom’s loadshedding, alongside an enduring pandemic, have proven a devastating combination, repeatedly destroying historical data, and demanding an (artificial intelligence) solution to predict the unpredictable. The past year has been shaped by the pandemic. The uncertainty has influenced how organisations approach day-to-day forecasting of sales, people and stock, battling to manage fluctuating trading hours due to

How ERP Solutions Help the Retail Pharmacy Sector Gain Valuable Business Insights

By Lionel de Oliveira, Sales Manager South Africa, Seidor Africa The pharmaceutical industry is faced with a multitude of challenges, including a rapidly changing landscape, competitive pressures, and the supply chain challenges wrought by the global COVID-19 outbreak. With a COVID-19 vaccine likely to be available in early 2021, we can expect even more pressure

Engen Launches Proudly SA Private Label Quickshop & Co.

True to its proud history of innovation and customer service, Engen has launched an exciting new private label convenience brand, Quickshop & Co. with all products in the range locally sourced and offering good quality at a great price. South Africans have come to expect constant innovation from South Africa’s favourite petrol station* brand, which

Engen Sunset Beach Offers a Slice of Andiccio24

Engen’s fast-food convenience offering is flourishing, and Cape Town customers can now enjoy a slice of Andiccio24’s delicious pizza at Engen Sunset Beach Convenience Centre in Milnerton. Engen Sunset Beach operates 24/7 and offers customers a diverse range of convenience services along with and Andiccio24’s gourmet Italian cuisine. Conveniently located in a high traffic area

SPAR Western Cape Announces Stores of the Year 2020

At the regional Annual General meeting of 2020, SPAR Western Cape, South Africa, announced the winners of its Store of the Year competition. The winning stores were evaluated using an extensive assessment process throughout the year. SPAR Supermarket in Sea Point SPAR Sea Point is the 2020 Store of the Year in the SPAR Western

A Fresh Start for South African Retail in 2021

By: Steven Heilbron: CEO, The Connect Group After a difficult year that saw year-on-year sales fall every month between the start of the hard lockdown and September, South Africa’s retail sector is hoping for a fresh start in 2021. Retail merchants that start the year with access to financing and ready to pursue new opportunities,

Starbucks with a View

Playground to holidaymakers, jetsetters and sunseekers, Camps Bay is renowned for its magnificent location at the foot of the Twelve Apostles mountain range – and now also for having a Starbucks with a one-of-a-kind view. Starbucks Camps Bay offers visitors and locals alike a delicious and wide-ranging ‘something for everyone’ menu, world-class service from the

Starbucks Takes Iconic Brand to Wine Country in Stellenbosch

Starbucks has a brand new café in Stellenbosch, located in the upmarket Checkers FreshX store overlooking Die Braak, the picturesque town square that is flanked by a beautiful Cape Dutch style church and other historical buildings. Starbucks in Stellenbosch is the second store in a Checkers FreshX supermarket, the first having opened in Rosebank Mall

PayU: ECommerce 2020 – The Year in Review

Tap, Tap, Tap and Grow By Karen Nadasen, CEO of PayU, South Africa It has been a year of reckoning: a year that lit a fire beneath online payments in South Africa, transforming eCommerce while creating immense economic pressure. As the global pandemic waged war on government process, merchant sales and consumer behaviour, companies were

PayCentral and Mastercard Enable Small Businesses to Go Digital and Pay Employees with Virtual Cards, Tapping into the Booming Digital Economy

PayCentral, a digital payment fintech, has partnered with Mastercard to launch DigiCentral, a secure online platform that provides small business owners with a simple, quick and cost-effective way of paying out incentives, rewards, gifting, corporate expenses and even salaries to their employees through a prepaid virtual card. The virtual card replaces a physical plastic card

A Greener World (AGW) – New Meaningful Food Certification for Ethical Farmers

A Greener World (AGW) is a new food label for farmers and retailers committed to animal welfare and sustainable livestock production. This meaningful label for meat, milk, eggs, as well as organic and regenerative products guarantees the growing number of green-conscious consumers that products have been produced with real sustainability credentials and conscientiousness. After much

Case Study: Cashbuild’s Four-year PCI DSS Journey Success Thanks to its Partnership with Galix

The breach or theft of cardholder’s details can affect an entire payment card ecosystem. Customers suddenly lose trust in merchants or financial institutions and similarly these merchants and financial institutions are subject to numerous financial liabilities and lost credibility. This makes a solid case for the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance

Nampak Operating Capability Sustained Despite COVID-19

KEY FINANCIAL INDICATORS  Revenue R11.3bn, down 23% EBITDA R1bn, down 48% Trading profit R682m, down 56% Operating loss R283m Loss for the year R4.3bn Impairments of R4bn Headline loss of 78cps for continuing operations; headline loss of 88cps for total operations HIGHLIGHTS Operating capability sustained despite significant impact of COVID-19 R1.1bn cash generated from operations

Developing Nestlé’s First Net Zero Dairy Farm in South Africa

Nestlé today announced the Skimmelkrans Net Zero Carbon Emissions Project: an ambition to create the company’s first carbon neutral dairy farm, located in George, South Africa. Nestlé has committed that by 2023, the farm will be carbon net zero. “The Skimmelkrans project is a positive step in our sustainability journey. In the context of yesterday’s global announcement by

SPAR South Africa Partners with Mr Price Foundation to Offer Jobs in Retail Sector

For the past eight years, SPAR South Africa has worked with the Mr Price Foundation to empower young South Africans through Jump Start, a successful work readiness programme. The foundation addresses the problem of youth unemployment, one of the country’s biggest challenges. The programme builds a robust talent pipeline for entry-level positions in the retail

Checkers Brings World-class Retail to Rosebank, Including Honey Bar & Starbucks

Checkers today revealed its new state-of-the-art supermarket at the Rosebank Mall as it continues to introduce more and more customers to a truly world-class shopping experience. The upmarket store offers a number of unique speciality services including: A honey bar offering three unique, local varieties of honey-on-tap, namely Buchu, Lucerne and Spring Hand-stretched, stone baked

SDM Eyewear Continues to Distribute Top International Eyewear Brands Under New Holding Company – FrontierCo

SDM Eyewear will continue to distribute top international eyewear brands under the newly named holding company: FrontierCo. This is after SDM’s previous holding company, Busby, went into Voluntary Business Rescue in July this year. SDM has been part of the Busby stable since 1998. Along with the other brands in the group, SDM underwent a

The Dangers of Legacy Software to Those Retailers Looking to Differentiate Themselves

By Allan Dickson, Independent Chairman at redPanda Software In the devastating wake of the global pandemic, companies across industries are grappling with the economic impact – and few more so than the embattled retail sector.  Without a doubt, ‘making the numbers’ is rare amidst weaker revenue. This means that there is inevitably a strong focus

DPO Group: Black Friday Lessons Provide a Festive Boost for Local Ecommerce Stores

While the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend may have been a relatively muted affair this year, online merchants have enough time to salvage the last trading quarter if they apply lessons learned and aggressively tackle the festive season, says South Africa’s largest payment service provider, the DPO Group (including PayGate, PayFast and SiD). “The

Nestlé Partners with Nomanini and Standard Bank to Empower Informal Retail Traders Across the Eastern and Southern Africa Region

Through Nomanini’s platform, Nestlé is able to provide much-needed access to sufficient working capital so that retailers can stock a wide range of high-quality products Informal retail Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) across the Eastern and Southern Africa Region (ESAR) are set to receive a technological and operational boost for their businesses, thanks to

Lewis Group Profit Up 13.6% on Strong Sales Growth Post Lockdown

Lewis Group overcame severe trading restrictions in the first two months of the national COVID-19 lockdown to recover strongly and increase operating profit by 13.6% for the six months to September 2020. Headline earnings per share increased by 9.9% to 236 cents and the board declared an interim dividend of 133 cents per share, 10.8%

68% of SA Consumers are Shopping More Online Since the Start of Pandemic, Reveals Mastercard Study

Data and airtime top up (81%), clothing (56%) and groceries (54%) top the virtual shopping list in South Africa 68% of people have learnt a new skill such as online banking, cooking, mastering DIY projects, and dancing, while 52% have spent more money on virtual experiences Social media has become an integral platform for connecting

Builders Cresta Opens End-November

A brand new Builders store is opening its doors at Cresta Shopping Centre on November 26, 2020.  The first branch to open within a super-regional mall, Builders Cresta will offer the full Builders Express range of products and services the brand is trusted for including a garden centre and a paint tinting and mixing counter.

Scan to Pay with Huawei Pay Powered by Zapper From 3 December

Huawei has integrated Zapper into its Huawei Pay offering allowing millions of South African mobile phone owners to scan and pay using QR codes. The new partnership forms part of Zapper’s ongoing initiative to partner with the greater payment ecosystem. Huawei is South Africa’s second largest mobile phone vendor with a 29.1% market share as

Pepkor Capitalises on Store Network Through the PAXI Parcel Service

PAXI, the affordable counter-to-counter parcel service which allows its customers to send, collect, and return parcels in a safe, convenient and affordable way, has experienced exceptional growth since its launch in 2018 by leveraging the extensive Pepkor store footprint. PAXI now has over 2 100 parcel service points countrywide through the Pep store network and

South Africa’s SPAR Group Reports Strong 13,5% Annual Turnover Increase

South Africa’s SPAR Group has reported a turnover increase of 13.5% to R124.3 billion (€6.79 billion) for the year ended 30 September 2020. The group’s extraordinary performance comes as consumers supported SPAR’s local and trusted retailers during this time of crisis. The group represents SPAR business in Southern Africa, Ireland, Switzerland, and Poland. The group

RFG Increases Sales by 8% As Lockdown Impacts Key Products

RFG reported a resilient performance in the year to September 2020 as turnover increased by 8.3% to R5.9 billion, despite COVID-19 impacting sales and profitability in the fruit juice and pie categories, and severely curtailing exports to China. The Western-Cape based food producer, which owns market-leading brands Rhodes, Bull Brand, Magpie, Squish, Bisto, Hinds and

Standard Bank Instant Money is Partnering with Major Retailers to Make Sending and Receiving Money More Convenient and Accessible Countrywide

Standard Bank Instant Money has partnered with some of South Africa’s major retailers and selected spaza shops; growing its footprint to over 15 000 cash out points nationwide. “Innovation and access to financial services is crucial for Standard Bank and that is why we have expanded our retailer footprint to offer our customers more options for

Old Habits Die Hard, but Retailers Can No Longer Defer their Omnichannel Strategies

Clive Potter, Global Head of Consumer Client Coverage, and Ishmael Mohamed, Sector Analyst for Consumer Client Coverage, at Standard Bank Group Traditional retailers in South Africa can no longer defer their omnichannel sales strategies, with the COVID-19 pandemic having significantly accelerated the shift to online shopping. Omnichannel retail refers to sales and consumer interactions that

Best South African App for 2020 is BOTTLES

The annual MTN Business App of the Year Awards, which took place virtually last month for the first time, celebrates the very best of South Africa’s app development talent. The winner of the Best South African Solution for 2020 is BOTTLES, an app that provides a delivery service not only for your groceries, but also

Checkers Sixty60 Wins Gold at the Loeries

Checkers Sixty60 picked up a gold award in the Service Design category at the 2020 Loerie Awards. Sixty60, the first one hour grocery delivery service from a South African supermarket chain, also recently won at the 2020 MTN Business App of the Year Awards and the 2020 BCX Digital Innovation Awards. “We are thrilled to have won a gold Loerie

Spur Starts Recovery After Devastating Impact of COVID-19

Spur Corporation has reported a sharp decline in sales and profitability as the COVID-19 lockdown adversely impacted trading in the last four months of the financial year to June 2020. After restaurant sales increased by 6.0% in South Africa and 4.0% in the international operations in the eight months to February 2020, sales declined dramatically

A Fresh Start for FrontierCo as Busby Emerges from Business Rescue

The New House of Busby received approval from 91% of its creditors in support of its business rescue plan scripted and executed by Hans Klopper and Dawie van der Merwe of BDO Business Restructuring. The company will now be rebranded to FrontierCo and its Head Office has relocated from Germiston to George in the Southern

Another Win for Checkers Sixty60 – BCX Digital Innovations Awards

Checkers Sixty60 has won the 2020 BCX Digital Innovation Awards, which recognises excellence in digital innovation in the corporate category. Sixty60, the first 60-minute grocery delivery service from a South African supermarket chain, also recently won the People’s Choice Award and the Best Enterprise Solution at the 2020 MTN Business App of the Year Awards. These awards recognise

OneDayOnly.co.za Launches Annual E-commerce Index ODOmeter

The no-frills guide to what South African shoppers are doing online The South African e-Commerce industry has experienced a massive boom in 2020. Accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Rand Merchant Bank estimates that the value of e-commerce transactions in South Africa will surge 150% to R225 billion by 2025. To better understand South Africa’s online

COVID-19 Drives eCommerce in South Africa Ahead of Festive Season

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a serious toll on shopper behaviour not only from a decline in spending but also in how they shop. With social distancing restrictions, a possible second wave of infections, and adaptations to new lifestyles, the crisis is driving more traffic to South African eCommerce merchants than before. To help

Don’t Confuse Having an Ecommerce Offering with Omnichannel Retailing

The age of the mall is waning. The phrase that sends property fund managers into a cold sweat. But it’s not just the lower foot traffic as a result of COVID that is to blame for the pressure on brick-and-mortar stores. Businesses which have refused to embrace the benefits of omnichannel retailing are sacrificing the

Shoprite Voted Top Grocery Store in SA for the Past Decade

Shoprite was voted the Best Convenience and Grocery Store of the Decade in the 22nd annual Sunday Times Top Brands survey. “This acknowledgement is testament to us continually striving to better serve our customers and staying true to our dedication to bring them lower prices they can trust, always. It is a wonderful recognition during

Polyoak Packaging and Clover Partnership Delivers SA’s Most Recycled Beverage Packaging

Polyoak Packaging is a leading plastic packaging specialist in the design and manufacture of recyclable bottles and closures, tubs, drums and buckets for food, beverage and industrial applications. Our extensive distribution network with over 30 manufacturing plants across South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Swaziland underpins our excellent customer service. As a proudly South African company,

Dutch Customs Authorities Seize Second Counterfeit Blueberry Shipment Produced by Ross Berries

United Exports has been reliably informed that the Dutch Customs Authority has intercepted and seized another shipment of fresh blueberries from South African grower, Ross Berries (Pty) Ltd. The 40ft reefer container containing a 16,600 kilogram (16,6 tonne) shipment of fruit was confiscated in terms of the European Union’s Intellectual Property, Counterfeit and Piracy Regulations.

The 2020 Best Enterprise Solution Goes to Checkers Sixty60 – MTN Business App of the Year Awards

Smart Made Simple: Local talent solving local business challenges In less than 12 months, the Checkers Sixty60™ online shopping app has become a household name thanks to its unrivalled convenience and speed of delivery. This scalable solution, an app that accommodates hundreds of concurrent users, and thousands of orders per day, has won Best Enterprise

Top Retail Brands are Innovating and Scaling in Malls for the Long Term

Pioneering retailers are reinventing the shopping experience by bringing technology in-store Malls with good landlords, locations, and retail mixes are first in line for retail innovations Leading retailers, including big online brands, are putting their long-term money on strong shopping malls backed by quality landlords. The widespread narrative around consumers and retailers moving online, away

Shoprite Group’s PMO Gains International Recognition

The Shoprite Group’s Portfolio Management Office (PMO) has gained international recognition for its world-class project management skills as one of the top four finalists in the 2020 PMO Global Awards. The Shoprite PMO was a finalist in the coveted World PMO of the Year Award, competing with companies from Honduras (Americas), Ukraine (Europe) and the United

Retail Engage Announced as Finalist in the 2020 DMA Assegai Awards

Retail Engage has been announced as a finalist in the 2020 DMA Assegai Awards in two categories – Integrated Direct Marketing Campaigns and CRM Programmes. In 2013 Retail Engage launched its consumer brand, bonsella® which has grown into the largest shopper rewards and loyalty programme in the independent main market in South Africa. It consists

SPAR Group: Digital Innovations for a Safe and Convenient Shopping Environment

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, retailers across the SPAR network have reacted quickly to ensure stores remain safe spaces for shoppers and store team members. Although instore digital technologies have been on the rise for several years, they are playing an increasingly important role in maintaining a safe and comfortable shopping environment in

FNB and Shoprite Group Expand Partnership to help Customers Replace Bank Cards in Stores

Partnership continues to generate significant value for customers FNB and the Shoprite Group have expanded their partnership by allowing FNB Easy Pay As You Use and Smart Option account holders to replace lost or stolen bank cards in more than 700 Shoprite and Checkers stores across South Africa. This means FNB customers will now have

Checkers Sixty60 wins at MTN Business App of the Year Awards

The Checkers Sixty60 app is the winner of the People’s Choice Award and the Best Enterprise Solution at the 2020 MTN Business App of the Year Awards. South Africa’s first 60-minute grocery delivery service from a supermarket chain launched in November 2019 and in less than 12 months Sixty60 has become a household name thanks to its unrivaled convenience and

Massmart Announces New Head of Ecommerce

Massmart has announced the assignment of (Theodore) Sylvester John, the Walmart North America Vice President for Last Mile Delivery to lead the Massmart e-commerce team. John, who will report into Chief Operations Officer, Richard Inskip has extensive senior level retail experience in the US and Africa, having worked in a wide range of business development

RCL Foods: Every Step to Reduce Carbon Emissions Counts – and we are Taking a Giant one in Rustenburg

As the climate crisis continues and natural disasters become more frequent due to global warming, the United Nations warned last week that not enough is being done to stop the world becoming an “uninhabitable hell” for millions of people. To keep the temperature rise to 1.5 degrees, we will need to reduce global greenhouse gas

Earnings up 14% as Clicks Group Posts Resilient Performance in COVID-19 Crisis

Clicks Group delivered a strong and resilient performance in the COVID-19 environment, increasing diluted headline earnings per share by 13.7% to 754 cents for the year to August 2020. Earnings growth was driven mainly by tight cost management, solid retail health and beauty sales and the strong performance of UPD, the group’s pharmaceutical wholesaler. Shareholders