Global research over more than two decades by institutions such as MasterCard, Visa, The World Bank, commercial banks and mobile network operators (MNOs) affirms that the most powerful tool to drive revenue and impact is to connect consumers, merchants, banks and brands to drive financial inclusion and deep customer engagement, and ultimately maximise value for
Online demand for products is growing rapidly, but amid supply chain disruptions there is a greater need to deliver items to customers effectively. Technology, however, is finding a way Transport and logistics are soaring in Africa, with further rapid growth predicted for years to come. That’s the word from the World Economic Forum and African
Today’s customers are more empowered and sophisticated than ever before. They are exposed to a multitude of goods and services, and product parity makes defining your company’s competitive edge more challenging. Great customer service has become the key differentiator in attracting and retaining customers. But delivering great customer service requires the right tools. 1Stream, southern
According to the December 2022 Household Affordability Index, low income households are changing their purchasing patterns in response to increasingly challenging affordability conditions. This varies from home to home according to each one’s social standards with one thing being synonymous – the impact of food inflation and the general increase in the cost of living
Tiger Brands was recently certified as a Level 2 B-BBEE contributor. Tiger Brands first achieved Level 2 contributor status in the 2021 review period following year-on-year improvements. The achievement is attributed to a deliberate cross-functional drive focusing on empowerment initiatives that include skills development for unemployed individuals, management control at Board and Executive Director level
Retailers are ramping up digital transformation to keep pace with the demanding, connected post-COVID consumer and improve operational efficiency in a time of rising inflation. As they accelerate migration to the cloud and evolve towards an omnichannel business model, retailers often find that costs and wastage in their IT and telecoms environments start to rise.
By 2025 the value of ecommerce transactions in SA is expected to reach R225bn as reported by IOL with the market itself estimated to reach R400bn the same year “Chatting to industry experts at the end of last year at the GIBS SA Retail Industry Conference – the general consensus was that innovation, flexibility and
The Top Employers Institute announced Massmart as a Top Employer in South Africa for the second consecutive year, ranking the organisation in the top 25% of participating employers globally. The program has recognized and certified 2051 participating employers in 121 countries, across 5 continents and being certified as a Top Employer showcases an organisation’s dedication
More than 25 million South African consumers saved a combined R7 billion on their grocery bills during the past six months (July to December 2022) through the Xtra Savings programme at Shoprite and Checkers supermarkets. It has contributed to fending off soaring living costs with Xtra Savings members swiping their rewards cards over 238 million times to benefit from
Online retail in South Africa passed the R50-billion milestone in 2022, driven by an ongoing boom in demand for home deliveries, according to new research findings released today. “Online Retail in South Africa 2022”, a study conducted by World Wide Worx with Mastercard, reveals that the total growth for online retail in South Africa in
The workplace has undergone a major transition over the past three years, placing pressure on companies and organisations to relook at their office structure and workflows, as well as the tools they have in place to manage the challenges these changes present. Jed Hewson, CEO of 1Stream, Southern Africa’s leading CRM and contact centre technology provider, highlights
You might soon be able to pick up your Takealot order at your nearest Pick n Pay Pick n Pay has launched a new pick-up point for Takealot customers in a store in Cape Town. This is part of a pilot giving customers the huge convenience of picking up their non-food online orders while shopping
The overriding retail trend for 2023 will be convergence of technologies and this trend will have widespread significance. This is according to Ajay Lalu, Director and co-Founder of Q-HOP – exhibitor at NRF 2023 – who adds that retailers must wake up to the implications—and opportunities—of profoundly disruptive technology trends. “5G will continue to lead
South Africa’s leading payment gateway provider Payfast has undergone a major rebrand. Having joined forces with PayGate and SiD under Network International, the company has created a new home for its consolidated offering. With a renewed focus on enabling growth – for the brand, its merchants, and the broader ecommerce industry – this milestone represents
As we enter 2023, it seems the year will not be any easier for South African retailers or consumers than 2021 and 2022. Fitch forecasts that real household spending will decelerate in line with a wider economic slowdown, while higher inflation and interest rates will provide headwinds for the economy. Volatile exchange rates, continued electricity shortages and high
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
