A Cape Town-based children’s wear chain is set to go big within the next few years, thanks to the advanced management tools and market data within its point of sale solution. Petit Love, a luxury baby-goods retail chain, is targeting expansion to 15 new stores over the next four years, proving that small business can
HomeChoice International PLC (the Group), a leading provider of innovative Retail and Financial Services products to a growing female mass market customer base in southern Africa, today announced solid results for the period ended 30 June 2018. Headline earnings increased by 16.1% to R260 million and HEPS increased by 14.7% to 249.6 cents, continuing its
Over the past year, South Africa’s independent retailers enjoyed sales volumes 25% higher than the global average, according to data from retail management software leader Vend. Vend’s Retail Benchmark Report for 2018, which compared data from over 13,000 retailers using Vend around the world, reveals that globally the average independent retail store makes $22,300 per
E-commerce retailers grew their share of the South African technical consumer goods market by 52% in 2017, accounting for 6.9% of total consumer spending by rand value for the year. This means they have nearly doubled their share of the market since 2015, according to research from GfK South Africa. GfK South Africa’s new report,
South African retail sales for June 2018 grew by 2.9 percent year-on-year excluding the effects of inflation, marking the weakest pace of growth since October 2017. This is according to the Mastercard SpendingPulse June 2018 report, which provides a macro-economic analysis of retail spending trends in South Africa. June’s retail sales volume was slightly below
The first on the continent to access Samsung Pay, South Africans will be able to enjoy this innovative, safer, simpler payment method that works anywhere. Samsung Pay joins the lineage of people-centered technology, allowing users to make secure, simple mobile payments, almost anywhere, when purchasing goods at any store. Users can simply tap their compatible
Fashion retailer TFG has poached the CEO of Grindrod Freight Services, Bongiwe Ntuli, to fill the role of finance chief. TFG said previously that Anthony Thunström, the current CFO, would move into the CEO role on September 3. Current CEO Doug Murray will step down at that time after almost 11 years in the job.
Online and mobile payments are taking off in Africa as a combination of improved internet access, advanced financial systems and widespread mobile penetration help spur demand for services. However, the ability to pay and accept payments on the continent are not without their challenges, principally around risk and settlement. “For the last decade, the ability
It’s no secret that South African shoppers are beset by a storm of rising prices and it seems their shopping baskets are definitely feeling the pain with the average consumer now hyper aware of what they’re purchasing. As a result, the latest Nielsen Shoppergraphics Report – which looks at shifts in consumer purchasing behaviour within
Pick n Pay has its sights set on creating 15,000 new jobs over the next three years. According to Pick n Pay chairman Gareth Ackerman, the retailer hopes to bring young people into the world of work and expose them to the opportunities that retail provides to build a career. Speaking at the company’s AGM,
Travelstart and Pep have partnered to deliver a service that enables customers to pay for flights in more than 600 Pep stores nationwide. Named Pay@Pep, the partnership will make it easier for those customers who are looking for alternative ways to pay for their flights. Commenting on the partnership, Travelstart head of global partnerships Odette
In a recent study, it was established that the current size of the South African retail market is estimated at around 23.4 million square metres (sqm) of gross lettable area (GLA) across 1959 individual shopping centres (as of July 2017). The study was conducted by MSCI on behalf of the South African Council of Shopping
A new, exclusive partnership between Spar and South African ticketing company Ticketpro will see customer kiosks being rolled out in Spar stores nationwide. Through utilising technology developed by Blue Label Telecoms, Ticketpro streamlines the ticketing, hospitality and access control for a range of events across the country, offering customised ticketing solutions to a wide variety
The FairPlay movement has called for a public enquiry into the fiasco that saw a zero tariff for sugar being set and gazetted in South Africa last year, which allowed importers to bring in and stockpile sugar duty-free, “and which plunged the South African industry into a crisis”. “This is more than an administrative error.
German furniture and décor brand Kare has opened its first South African store in Kramerville, Johannesburg. The 1,000 square metre space is located on Appel Road and carries the brand’s extensive range of furniture, lighting and accessories. Having established a firm foothold in Europe, Asia and the Americas, the South African launch follows store openings
On this week’s episode of Marketplace Africa, CNN International’s Eleni Giokos meets Tertius Carstens, the CEO of Pioneer Foods. He outlines the company’s journey from its beginning in 1997 and describes some of the challenges the company has had to overcome. Carstens tells the programme how the company began: “The official starting point for Pioneer
Total South African retail sales for May 2018 grew by three percent year-on-year excluding the effects of inflation, compared to the 3.1 percent year-on-year growth recorded in May 2017. This is according to the Mastercard SpendingPulse May 2018 report, which provides a macro-economic analysis of retail spending trends in South Africa. The report shows that
New study on cash automation presents in-depth insights from retailers in 13 countries on technology which counts, validates and stores banknotes, and which is capable of fully automating cash management in stores. Security considerations drive retailers to invest in automation of cash processing Retail Cash Automation 2018, a brand new study by strategic research and
South Africa has signed the African Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement with the African Union, which will pave the way for the country to benefit from inter-regional trade within the African continent. “This agreement is an important step towards South Africa’s participation in a market of over one billion people and will create opportunities and
Pick n Pay is experimenting with compostable bags as an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic bags. To mark International Plastic Bag Free Day and as part of its efforts to reduce plastic waste, the retailer performed a one-day trial at its V&A Waterfront store to gauge customer reaction. The trial is intended to inform further
Fashion and lifestyle retailer TFG walked away with the prestigious “Retailer of the Year” award at the 2018 Canal Walk Retail Excellence Awards. The Group has 26 stores trading in the shopping centre, representing all of its local brands. Gavin Wood, the CEO of Canal Walk Shopping Centre, says that the annual Retail Excellence Awards
The South African Council of Shopping Centres (SACSC) has a new president – property sector stalwart Stephan le Roux. Le Roux has more than three decades of experience in the various aspects of the property and retail industry. After studying and achieving degrees in accountancy and architecture, the property industry was a natural calling as
The pursuit of greater electronic payment adoption among South African merchants received a significant boost with the announcement of a partnership between leading African fintech holding company Crossfin Technology Holdings and global fund manager Apis Partners LLP. According to Anton Gaylard, COO of Crossfin, the partnership with Apis will create an enlarged payments operating company
Mobecom Limited is pleased to announce it has signed agreements with two of Spur Corporations’ (Spur) franchise brands, John Dory’s and Spur Steak Ranches. Mobecom announced on 30 November 2017 that it had entered into a Master Services Agreement with Spur (MSA), as Spur’s exclusive provider of customer loyalty technology for Spur’s 590+ franchise outlets
Spur Corporation is to expand its restaurant portfolio with the acquisition of a 51% stake in the fast-growing franchise restaurant group Nikos Coalgrill Greek. Nikos Coalgrill Greek currently operates six franchised restaurants, with a further four outlets confirmed to open in the coming months. The first Nikos Coalgrill Greek restaurant opened in Durban North in
South African kitchen and homeware store Yuppiechef is set to open its second physical store on 1 July 2018 in Gardens Shopping Centre in the Cape Town CBD. The new store launches just nine months after the first brick-and-mortar Yuppiechef store opened in Willowbridge, Tyger Valley, Cape Town. “Our first store has been incredibly well-supported,
Legwear specialists Falke South Africa will this month be establishing a retail presence in Australia, following an “extremely successful” visit to the country. “There are definitively great similarities between the target markets here in South Africa and in Australia. Our audiences share comparable lifestyles, which will provide a great fit for the Falke brand. We
Edcon, South Africa’s largest non-food retailer, has announced a renewed focus on its iconic brands, Edgars, Jet, CNA and the thank U offering. Various new strategies, the launch of new stores and enhanced product categories will strengthen the positioning of these brands in line with this renewed strategy. At an event held at the Edcon
Nestlé South Africa has transformed its Mossel Bay dairy factory into a “zero water” manufacturing site. Over the past six years, the company has installed new water recovery, treatment and recycling technology at the factory which will enable it to re-use and recycle water from its dairy operations. Between 2008 and 2010, the Mossel Bay
Media24 will be the 51% owner of a new venture which will arise from a merger between Naspers-owned online fashion retailers Spree and Superbalist, the media company and Takealot announced on Monday. The merger of the two businesses into one entity seeks to create a “larger, more focused and economically sustainable platform on which to
Woolworths celebrates World Environment Day by announcing a number of measures to reduce plastic pollution as well as committing that by 2022 all of its own-brand plastic packaging will be reusable and recyclable. As the latest step in its Good Business Journey and in line with the Group’s vision to be one of the most
Burger King SA announced that its 80th corporate restaurant has opened at the Kolonnade Retail Park in Tshwane on Friday, 8 June 2018. This is the 20th restaurant to be opened this financial year and the business is on track to open another 20 restaurants by the next financial year. Says Juan Klopper, COO of
Massmart’s second Urban Bookshelf has been launched in the township of Alexandra. The project, aimed at increasing access to books, is the second in a series of planned free miniature libraries across Johannesburg to promote reading and improve literacy. The first library was opened at Phefeni Recreation Centre in Orlando, Soweto in July 2017 and featured
This youth month Africa’s largest retailer is set to reach its target of empowering more than 12 000 youths (aged 18-29 years) to enter the retail sector or start their own business. Arguably the largest skills development initiative ever undertaken by a South African retailer, the Shoprite Group’s Retail Readiness programme launched in February 2016.
Total South African retail sales for April 2018 grew by 3.7 percent year-on-year after removing the effects of inflation, showing the highest growth rate seen in April in the past six years. This is according to the Mastercard SpendingPulse April 2018 report, which provides a macroeconomic analysis of retail spending trends in South Africa. The
South Africa’s recently launched home improvement app, HomeFixer, has announced a partnership with Hirsch’s, one of South Africa’s most well-known independent home appliances and furniture store. HomeFixer Founder and Managing Director, Renaldo Bothma, says that the home improvement app is delighted to partner with one of South Africa’s most iconic brands: “We are proud to
Nielsen has announced that it will release Consumer Panel data fused with 2017 PAMS data in August this year, this is an enhanced survey that will provide the industry with rich information on 200 consumer goods categories and more than 5 000 brands. The study is being funded by the Publisher Research Council (PRC) and
Shoprite has announced the launch of Shoprite Money – a new mobile transactional banking service which is available to everyone in South Africa, even those without existing bank accounts. Using their Shoprite Money mobile wallet, this new service will enable customers to deposit, withdraw or send money as well as buy groceries at any of
SPAR South Africa’s Eastern Cape (EC) division has declared war on plastic bags as the retailer spearheads a significant step forward in the battle to protect the environment. In a move which has been hailed by environmental groups as a major development, the SPAR EC team have launched an initiative to urge customers to consider
Clicks Group will become the first major retailer in South Africa to provide fully employer-funded low-cost health insurance benefits for all its South African employees and the company’s CEO David Kneale is urging other corporates to follow suit in offering quality and affordable primary healthcare services to all staff. “While approximately 9 million South Africans
Total South African retail sales for March 2018 grew by four percent year-on-year after removing the effects of inflation, marking the highest growth rate for retail spending since May 2013. This is according to the Mastercard SpendingPulse March 2018 report, which provides a macroeconomic analysis of retail spending trends in South Africa. March’s retail performance
The fast food and quick service restaurant (QSR) sector continues to show steady growth on the back of what has been a tough economic climate in South Africa. With a contribution in access of 29%, QSR has by far the biggest share in franchising turnover. According to the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA), the
Clicks Group reported continued strong growth in retail health and beauty sales, improved margins and robust cash flows for the six months to February 2018 as diluted headline earnings per share increased by 14.8%. Group turnover increased by 10% to R14.4 billion with the retailer generating cash inflows from operations of over R1.1 billion for
The Shoprite Group has launched a discount buying card to assist welfare organisations in their bid to stay afloat amidst trying economic times. The Act For Change card gives qualifying non-profit organisations (NPOs) access to a 5% discount across various Shoprite Group outlets. The NPOs have 30 days to pay with no interest. Further benefits
Mastercard has completed its acquisition of mobile payments technology company Oltio from Standard Bank Group. The acquisition builds on Mastercard’s longstanding relationship with Oltio, a startup that pioneered and patented several mobile payments and banking solutions, including an authentication technology. Today, that technology enables consumers to authenticate Masterpass digital wallet purchases in South Africa using
Local retailers have been under severe pressure these past couple of years, and 2018 promises no respite. Weak economic growth, regulatory changes and a fluctuating rand continue to ail the industry, while inflation (anticipated to be around 5%) erodes consumers’ disposable income. Given this reality, it could be expected that many retailers would pass on
For a small retailer or start-up to be successful and move to the next level, it’s important that systems are in place to track inventory, recon and balance merchant batch closure, manage multiple store and staff sales and have immediate access to real-time data that helps make better management decisions. SA’s long-standing fintech player, Sureswipe
After years of planning and hard work from the project team, the construction of Liberty Midlands Mall’s Phase 3 development commenced in November 2016, and will be completed and ready for trade in March, 2018. Liberty Midlands Mall is co-owned by Liberty Group Limited and Liberty Two Degrees’. Their prestigious real estate portfolio includes ownership
PayPal released data about mobile phone usage and mobile eCommerce at the Seamless Africa Conference in Cape Town earlier this week. Online shopping is on the rise in South Africa. South Africans spent R37.1 billion shopping online in 2016, an increase of nearly 30% from the previous year. These numbers are expected to continue to
The Shoprite Group produced an industry-leading performance in the 26 weeks to 31 December 2017 with growth in turnover, profit and market share. According to Chief Executive, Pieter Engelbrecht, “Results were boosted by a strong performance in our core South African supermarket operations, which grew turnover by 7.8%.” This helped offset a 0.4% decline in
