Verigreen has been Awarded a Multi-million Rand Contract to Supply Products under Shoprite Group’s Ritebrand and Housebrand Labels

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5606 Views | 7 min read

Plastic manufacturing and recycling company, Verigreen, has been awarded a multi-million rand contract to supply 25 different products under the Shoprite Group’s Ritebrand and Housebrand labels. Owned by husband and wife team Mike and Thina Maziya and established in 2001, Verigreen has been manufacturing a range of drawstring refuse bags since 2012 and has expanded

Woolworths, Sustainability Institute and Spier Launch Community Learning Farm

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 6400 Views | 12 min read

Woolworths has joined hands with its supplier, Spier wine farm; the Sustainability Institute and its AgroEcology Academy to launch the Living Soils Community Learning Farm, in the Lynedoch valley of the Stellenbosch Winelands. The partners have agreed to a three-year pilot project that aims to establish a learning farm that demonstrates ecologically-restorative methods to grow

Edcon Concludes Recapitalisation Deal

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 4693 Views | 11 min read

Following various announcements made by Edcon over recent months in relation to the recapitalisation of the business, the Group has advanced the process sufficiently to provide a further update to all stakeholders. The Board of Edcon is pleased to announce that binding agreements have been concluded amongst, Edcon Limited’s existing secured lenders, the Public Investment

Massmart Reports 2.9% Total Sales Growth in Tough Economic Environment

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5138 Views | 17 min read

Massmart has reported annual results for the 52 weeks ended 30 December 2018 against the back-drop of a difficult economic environment, characterised by low GDP and wage growth, and constrained consumer confidence. Notwithstandingthe difficult environment Massmart maintained strong market share across durable goods categories including; small and large domestic appliances, hi-tech and most DIY and

Spur and The Hussar Grill Perform Well in Slowing Economy

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5373 Views | 13 min read

Spur Corporation reported a competitive performance for the six months to December 2018 as increasing demands on disposable income and declining confidence impacted the group’s middle-income customer base. Total franchised restaurant sales across the local and international operations increased by 4.8% to R3.9 billion. Comparable profit before tax, excluding exceptional and one-off items, increased by

Shoprite Lesotho Cross-Border Remittance Product Achieves R1 Billion Mark

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 22620 Views | 8 min read

The Shoprite cross-border money remittance product reached the R1 billion mark in January, after just three years of it being implemented between SA and Lesotho. The cost of a transfer of R900 is 2%, which is one of the cheapest cross-border products in the world. A remittance is when a person sends money, usually small

South African Consumer Confidence Holds On

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 6654 Views | 13 min read

South Africa’s latest Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) for the fourth quarter of 2018 shows a two point decrease to 88, presenting a relatively stable, though still slightly negative, quarter on quarter picture for consumer sentiment in South Africa. This is supported by a decrease in the number of South Africans who view their job prospects

New Age Retail Furniture Brand – OK Power Express

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5524 Views | 2 min read

OK Power Express is a new-age retail furniture brand that focuses on price sensitive consumers. In small-format stores, it specializes in selling a selected range of appliances, home entertainment and cellphones as well as base sets, bedding and carpeting. The brand offers financing options to its customers. OK Power Express opened its first outlet in

New HR Head for Shoprite: A Catalyst for Change

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5265 Views | 5 min read

Zakhele Sibiya, the Shoprite Group’s new head of human resources, has a clear understanding of what the future holds for South Africa’s largest private employer. Change is inevitable. The Group’s current leadership has a fresh approach to the business and as such we’re in a process of transformation. It gives me great satisfaction to play

Massmart Launches Sixth Solar Plant Becoming the Biggest Producer of Renewable Energy in the South African Retail Sector

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 6908 Views | 7 min read

Makro Strubens Valley in Gauteng became the sixth Massmart store to make use of renewable energy. The store has a 480 kilowatt (kWh) peak plant that consists of 1476 car park-mounted polycrystalline PV panels. The plant provides nearly half of the stores daily energy requirements and is estimated to provide 24% of the stores total

R2.8 Billion Value Created for Clicks Group Employees through Employee Share Ownership Programme

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 16297 Views | 19 min read

Over 7 800 of Clicks Group employees will share in a R1.5 billion payment that has been created through the Group’s employee share ownership scheme (ESOP). This is in addition to the R1.3 billion already paid out under the scheme to beneficiaries in 2018. Vikesh Ramsunder, CEO of Clicks Group, says that this is the

More in Store for African Retail & Consumer Businesses

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 35612 Views | 29 min read

Africa’s economy has seen modest growth in the wake of falling commodity prices, slowing revenues and volatile currencies. The moderation in growth impacts a range of industries and sectors, including retail and consumer products that must contend with rising costs, and a fall in prices. Despite the decline in growth, the long-term outlook remains positive.

6 Sites Driving eCommerce in Africa

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 14618 Views | 16 min read

eCommerce in Africa is booming but that doesn’t leave out any struggles which include uncertainty around receiving orders satisfactorily. There are currently 65.4 million eCommerce users in Africa and the Middle East, with an additional 20 million users expected to be shopping online by 2021. When it comes to eCommerce sales in Africa, three of

Brand Trends for 2019: Winning Consumer Trust in a Toxic Climate

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 4658 Views | 27 min read

From data breaches to fake news to state capture to corporate failures, issues of trust and transparency ruled the headlines in South Africa and the rest of the world throughout 2018. As we move into 2019, the central challenge brands will wrestle with is that of embracing new roles and business models that build trust

South Africa’s TFG Achieves E-Commerce Leadership with Oracle

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 8294 Views | 9 min read

TFG (The Foschini Group), a South African retail group operating in thirty-two countries across five continents, has chosen Oracle to support its digital transformation strategy with the consolidation of twenty-two brands into one online marketplace. With close to 3000 stores, TFG migrated its brick-and-mortar offering to a hassle free digital platform and now offers the

Cape Union Mart Launches PLM Journey with Centric Software

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 7625 Views | 20 min read

South African multi-chain retailer chooses Centric PLM to support rapid growth, integrate suppliers and enhance visibility Cape Union Mart, the South African outdoor company, has selected Centric Software’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to fashion, retail, footwear, outdoor, luxury and consumer goods companies to achieve strategic and

Entersekt Gains Early Certification for E-Commerce Authentication Solution

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 7975 Views | 8 min read

3-D Secure 2 access control server comes bundled with APIs for a wide range of in-app payment experiences Entersekt, an innovator in mobile-first fintech solutions, announced that it has gained EMVCo certification for its 3-D Secure 2 access control server. EMVCo is a payments industry consortium managing global specifications for secure card-based e-commerce transactions. Entersekt

South African Consumer Confidence in a ‘Holding Pattern’

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5264 Views | 19 min read

Latest consumer confidence levels remain unchanged compared to previous quarter Job prospects continue to haunt South Africans with only 34% seeing them as positive in the next 12 months The Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) for South Africa for Q3, 2018 remains unchanged compared to the previous quarter, remaining at 90 with South Africans seemingly in

Shoprite Fights High Education Costs with Low-Price Uniforms and School Fee Competition

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 6134 Views | 5 min read

Shoprite is helping to ease the burden of rising education costs by offering its customers a basic school uniform for under R100 and giving more than 460 learners the opportunity to have their 2019 school fees paid for. For less than R100, customers are able to buy a basic school uniform consisting of a shirt,

Explore the Future of Retail at Digital Retail Forum 2019

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 8045 Views | 11 min read

        JOHANNESBURG, GAUTENG, SOUTH AFRICA, January 16, 2019 — There is so much more in store for the African retail industry. According to research conducted by PWC, many sub-Saharan African countries have emerged among the world’s fastest-growing economies. This kind of development is due, in part, to a great deal of economic and

Carrefour Kenya Inks Deal with Online Platform Jumia to Boost Grocery, Beverages Sale

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 7200 Views | 10 min read

French multinational retailer, Carrefour has entered into a definitive agreement with Jumia, a Nigeria-based e-commerce platform to boost online grocery, beverages and other sales. A Business Daily report indicates that the deal will allow Carrefour customers purchase a wide selection of products from its six Nairobi stores on Jumia’s online platform starting January. Carrefour is

Game Boosts Education in Accra

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5707 Views | 11 min read

Today marks the official opening of two new Game stores in Accra by popular retail chain; one in West Hills Mall and one in Achimota Retail Centre. The Game store in Accra Mall has undergone a major facelift and is also relaunching today. Since Game’s debut into Ghana in 2007, the company has supported the

Almost 100 New Employees Welcomed at Shoprite Alberton North

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5475 Views | 3 min read

With the opening of its new store in the Alberton North Shopping Centre in Gauteng, Shoprite created 95 new jobs. The store’s total staff complement is 110, which includes 102 youth (between the ages of 18 and 35) and 80 women. Shoprite Alberton North offers customers a convenient shopping experience with 13 pay points and

Nestle Recognised as Top Employer in South Africa

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 4998 Views | 11 min read

Nestlé South Africa (Pty) Ltd has been recognised as the Number 1 Top Employer in the country. The announcement was made by the Top Employer Institute at the Top Employer Awards ceremony held at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg this evening. The Top Employer Institute Certification Programme assesses amongst others, an organisation’s practices on talent

Retailers Have No Choice but to Chase Customer Experience

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 6009 Views | 16 min read

The onslaught from e-commerce means retailers must become smarter. Traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have no chance of surviving the onslaught from e-commerce unless they invest in their customer experience, says redPanda Software Group CEO Gareth Hawkey. If traditional retailers take on e-commerce providers at their own game by gathering insights and learning about their customers and

Shoprite Johannesburg CBD Creates More New Jobs

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5415 Views | 3 min read

The opening of Shoprite Johannesburg CBD on Tuesday, 27 November 2018 created 18 new jobs. The store’s total staff complement is 36, which includes 25 women. The new store offers customers a convenient shopping experience with 12 pay points and access to a number of in-store fresh food departments including a Meat Market, Hot &

South African Ecommerce Hits its Stride

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 4855 Views | 17 min read

Despite the lackluster macro-economic indicators, South African tenacity showed itself once again as retailers – especially smaller stores – cashed in on the online space over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend says Payment Service Provider, DPO PayGate. The annual shopping mega events of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which take place immediately after

94 Jobs Created with Shoprite Kwa Thema Junction Opening

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5493 Views | 3 min read

With the opening of its new supermarket at Kwa Thema Junction in Springs, Shoprite created 94 new jobs. The store’s total staff complement is 112, which includes 107 youth (between the ages of 18 and 35) and 82 women. The new store offers customers a convenient shopping experience with 16 pay points and access to

Energy Strategies should start with a Profit-centric Approach

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5131 Views | 18 min read

With the long-awaited Carbon Tax Bill now expected to be implemented in June of 2019, businesses still have some time to develop new energy strategies that can help to reduce their carbon footprint. To add to the woes of a carbon intensive footprint, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has also approved a

New Vodacom World Brings Latest Technology Trends to Life

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 7260 Views | 15 min read

The newly designed Vodacom World officially launched, Friday 07 December 2018. For six months, Vodacom worked on reinventing Vodacom World and now the facility offers new and exciting technologies. Inside the new facility, there is a Vodacom Shop as well as retail space. There is an Internet of Things (IoT) section where customers can get

60 Jobs Created With Opening of Shoprite Mams Mall Mamelodi

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5737 Views | 4 min read

With the opening of its new store in Mams Mall, Pretoria, Shoprite created 60 new jobs. The store’s total staff complement is 140, which includes 106 women. Customers eagerly gathered to be amongst the first to benefit from the store’s fantastic opening specials and were also treated to in-store competitions and delicious product tastings. Shoprite

Travelstart Deepens Pay-in-Store Network With Pick n Pay

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 6317 Views | 6 min read

Travelstart is pleased to announce a pay-in-store partnership with Pick n Pay. South Africans can now book their flights on Travelstart.co.za and pay for them at their nearest participating Pick n Pay store nationwide. Travelstart’s Head of Global Partnerships Odette Faling said the pay-in-store feature brings a new level of convenience for customers who enjoy

Stanchion Partners with Retailers to Make Payments Seamless

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 6507 Views | 9 min read

Easy and seamless payments are one of the key concerns for large retailers. As new technologies emerge, and the payments ecosystem evolves, retailers must stay ahead of customer expectations around availability, channel variety, and ease-of-use. “The payment environment in retail must not only ensure high availability and performance, but is also a key part of

SA Retailers likely to Start Tracking Consumers In-Store using Facial Recognition

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5028 Views | 15 min read

Traditional retailers cannot compete with online retailers when it comes to price and merchandise and need to bring something to the table that online retailers cannot. This is according to Gareth Hawkey, Group CEO at redPanda Software, who notes that traditional retailers will, therefore, have to find technology that will change the whole in-store experience

Pick n Pay, BP Team Up: Get Rewarded for Refueling

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 13850 Views | 11 min read

Loyalty members of Pick n Pay Smart Shopper will soon be able to earn points when they refuel at BP service stations. This means that customers can soon earn points both at the pump and in BP’s forecourt Pick n Pay Express convenience store. Expected to launch later this year, the extended partnership between Pick

Shoprite and Checkers Reward Customers Every Time They Re-Use Recycled Bags

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5329 Views | 10 min read

The Shoprite Group, the only national retailer with a verified 100% recycled shopping bag in all its supermarkets, has announced that it will now be rewarding customers for using their newly introduced “planet” bags in both Shoprite and Checkers stores. Made from 100% recycled and recyclable plastic, the bigger and stronger “planet” bags retail for

The Modern Store Journey: Integrated, Informative and Engaging

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5689 Views | 15 min read

Despite challenging global economic conditions, retail sales in South Africa rose 1.3% year-on-year in July. Even though this is in line with expectations, it is still a positive sign that consumers have been willing to spend amidst pressure to tighten budgets. And yet, anecdotal evidence from many retailers suggest that certain product categories are struggling.

Olympic International Celebrates 25% Year on Year Growth

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 4853 Views | 10 min read

Leading footwear brand, Olympic International, has shown a 25% year on year growth, despite tough economic conditions. The brand – originally inspired by the two biggest sports in South Africa, football and rugby – continues its expansion into the disciplines that are changing the face of sport in the country, as well as on the

Nielse Launches Smartstore in South Africa

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 4871 Views | 9 min read

Nielsen has added a new product solution to their Shopper toolkit – a creative and unique solution for retailers and manufacturers globally, helping them get closer to shopper behaviour at the moment of truth and uncover What’s Next. The solution helps retailers measure, evaluate and optimize a range of retail concepts on sales and profit,

Software-Defined Networks will Enable the Store of the Future—and Keep Costs Low

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 4737 Views | 14 min read

The store of the future will use seamlessly integrated technology to create a wonderful retail experience for all its customers, says Metacom CEO Réan van Niekerk — and lower costs at the same time. “What makes a retail experience great is being recognised and valued as an individual,” says Van Niekerk. “50 years ago, or

Consumer Confidence Declines as South Africans Wait for Economic Turnaround

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 4661 Views | 17 min read

South Africans are under pressure as indicated by the latest results of The Conference Board® Global Consumer Confidence Survey, conducted in collaboration with Nielsen, which reflects a 5-point decrease in South African consumer confidence to 90 in Q2, 2018. Nielsen Sub-Saharan Africa MD Bryan Sun comments; “Consumer confidence in South Africa dropped in Quarter 2,

South Africans Display an Insatiable Appetite for Convenience

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5213 Views | 17 min read

South African consumers are facing an increasingly stressful, time-starved lifestyle which has created a burgeoning demand for convenient solutions that can help simplify their lives and points to a host of untapped opportunities for South African manufacturers and retailers. This stems from the latest report from global measurement company Nielsen, which focuses on the Quest

New Tech FoodShare Platform Debuts in South Africa to Combat Food Insecurity

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 5095 Views | 10 min read

FoodForward SA has introduced the FoodShare Digital Platform, a technological answer to the logistical demands of an organisation that recovers surplus food in the supply chain for redistribution to registered non-profit organisations. Usually, FoodForward SA requires a major logistical operation to collect, sort, and warehouse surplus food from donors and to distribute the products to

Africa’s Entertainment and Media Industry Enters Dynamic New Wave of Convergence – 3.0

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 6744 Views | 40 min read

By 2022, total E&M revenue in South Africa is expected to reach R177.2 billion, up from R129.2 billion in 2017 Africa’s entertainment and media industry has entered a dynamic new phase – a third wave of convergence. The borders that once separated the entertainment and media (E&M), technology and telecommunications industries are blurring in the

Garmin Pay Contactless Payments are Now Available in SA

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 4602 Views | 9 min read

Garmin Southern Africa have announced that the Garmin Pay contactless payment feature is now live on a range of Pay-Enabled Garmin watches in South Africa. The feature is currently available to VISA-enabled cardholders of First National Bank (FNB) and RMB Private Bank. This new feature from Garmin enables consumers to make highly secure contactless payments at near-field

South African Basket Sizes Are Shrinking As Shopping Behaviour Shifts

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 4641 Views | 16 min read

The South African consumer is experiencing a severe wallet squeeze thanks to a raft of rising costs including spiraling petrol and electricity prices, the implementation of sugar tax and a value added tax (VAT) increase to 15%. To manage their expenses, consumers have had to make some tough choices and adjust their consumption patterns. The

Checkers First SA Retailer to Launch Meal Kits

Posted on by Staff Reporter | 4590 Views | 4 min read

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,