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
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
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
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
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
New leadership appointed with a plan focused on path to profitability and e-commerce fundamentals Jumia Technologies AG (NYSE: JMIA) (“Jumia” or “the Company”) today announced the appointment of a new Management Board and Acting CEO, while Jeremy Hodara and Sacha Poignonnec, Co-CEOs, will be stepping down effective today. The Supervisory Board has appointed Francis Dufay
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
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
L’Oréal, the world’s leading beauty company, is set to finally launch in the Nigerian market after an exclusive distribution agreement was signed with KongaHealth, a leading healthcare distribution company early last week. Headquartered in Paris, France, L’Oréal would be making a grand entry into Nigeria, with feelers indicating that the brand intends to take leadership
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
Clickatell’s latest Chat Commerce Trends Report found 86% of shoppers are interested in a personalized messaging experience Clickatell (www.Clickatell.com), the Chat Commerce and business messaging leader, announced the results of its latest Chat Commerce Trends Report: Retail Edition, which reveals new findings about how today’s consumers prefer to communicate and make purchases with retail companies through mobile
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
The Shoprite Group made its second minority investment in a South African tech start-up this year. In the most recent transaction, the retailer is among a group of companies, led by Buffet Investments and KLT, in an undisclosed expansion round in Omnisient, Africa’s first privacy-preserving data collaboration platform provider. “We are excited by local start-ups that
Moolman Group has successfully opened three developments – two new shopping centres and one retail redevelopment – in two days. Hebron Mall in the North West province, and Matsamo Mall in Buffelspruit and Merino Mall in Ermelo, both in Mpumalanga, opened successfully last week. In addition to introducing valuable retail infrastructure in exceptional environments that
By Lebo Mothobi-Tilo, Marketing Director, Tetra Pak South Africa In 2019 alone, one third of all food produced globally was lost or wasted. That’s 1.3 billion tons of food worth R18 trillion according to estimates from the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization). If food loss and waste (FLW) were a country, it would be the
By Gareth Ackerman, co-chair of the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) As politics takes over ahead of the general elections in 2024, the government’s inertia on policy-making, its lack of decision-making and inability to deal with the country’s challenges threaten to under the hard work business is putting into growing the economy. The government
Pick n Pay Stores Limited has been approved for a secondary listing on A2X Markets (A2X). Its shares will be available for trade on A2X from 1 November 2022. The Pick n Pay Group, with a market cap of around R27 billion, will retain its primary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and its
The Group delivered a positive performance in its first trading period under its new Ekuseni strategic plan, launched in May 2022. Group turnover was up 11.5% year-on-year. Even when normalising for disruptions in the base period – due to the civil unrest, and Covid-19 liquor restrictions last year – Group turnover increased by an encouraging
Group turnover increased by 6.0% to R39.6 billion, with headline earnings per share increasing by 33.5% Adjusting for the financial impact of the KwaZulu-Natal civil unrest and related insurance payments received by the group, headline earnings from continuing operations grew by 11.9%. The group generated cash inflows from operations of R4.3 billion and the return
Standard Bank has partnered with Woolworths Holdings Limited to successfully execute the first sustainability-linked transactional deposit structure in South Africa. The transactional deposit structure links the interest Woolworths earns on their deposits to the achievement of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) targets. The KPIs and sustainability performance targets (SPTs) agreed between Woolworths and Standard Bank,
The co-chairman of the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) Gareth Ackerman today said the private sector cannot longer wait for government to solve the country’s worsening infrastructure crisis because the state is failing to deliver. Addressing the annual summit of the CGCSA in Sandton, Ackerman said businesses will have to provide solutions than
Massmart has joined forces with local Fintech, Retail Capital, providing access to funding to small, medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa. Retail Capital is one of the country’s leading alternative funders and a leader in Fintech solutions. “There are approximately 2.6 million SMEs in South Africa contributing 34% to GDP, however many still struggle to
Shoprite’s mobile application, with the Money Market Account functionality at its core, is the winner of Most Innovative Solution and App of the Year at this year’s MTN Business App of the Year Awards. The app supports Shoprite’s Money Market Account, a fully-fledged, transactional bank account – the first by a SA retailer – and the lowest-cost bank
In the age of big data, the Shoprite Group is at the forefront of innovating with artificial intelligence (AI). As one of the world’s leanest and most advanced retailers here are three leading innovations which have had a marked impact on the Group’s operations as it continues to create the best possible customer experience: Ensuring
30% of FMCG product currently sold on promotion SA shoppers halve shopping trips Shoppers prioritise retailers with best overall basket offer The latest NielsenIQ State of the Retail Nation report which reflects data measured over the four weeks to the beginning of September 2022, has found that shoppers have halved the number of times they
We are proud to share the 2022 Shoprite Holdings Integrated Report and Sustainability Report. From employee training and small supplier development, to donating millions in surplus food and goods and reducing our carbon emission intensity – our purpose is to uplift lives every day. In the past financial year: the Group invested R600 million in
With seven low calorie/low kilojoule carbonated cold drinks in its stable, The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC), continues to offer consumers choice despite recent changes to its product portfolio. Two years ago, TCCC announced that it would retire select products in various markets around the world as part of a global portfolio refresh. According to Silke Bucker,
After two consecutive years of month-long Black November deals, due to the Covid pandemic, Game is returning to its one-day Black Friday sale and bringing back midnight openings in 2022, as consumer shopping habits continue to return to normal after Covid-19. The retailer will open most of their 108 stores across the country from 00:00
As we flip flop between candles powering up and diesel drumming to a now common beat – with the longest run of loadshedding in South Africa recently under our belts – the massive impact this has had on business has been nothing less than debilitating leaving our economy in a precarious position. With loadshedding recently
By Andrew Dawson, MD at MACmobile In today’s digital world, where ecommerce platforms are becoming the de facto standard for many shopping experiences, the retail value chain has access to more data than ever before. The explosion of business intelligence and visualisation tools, and the creation of data lakes to pool information and optimisation structures
Shoprite’s mobile application, with the Money Market Account functionality at its core, is the winner of Most Innovative Solution and App of the Year at this year’s MTN Business App of the Year Awards. The app supports Shoprite’s Money Market Account, a fully-fledged, transactional bank account – the first by a SA retailer – and the lowest-cost bank entry-level
Global retail specialist Smollan, representing some of the world’s most loved FMCG and commerce brands have made a significant investment in eComplete, a turnkey end-to-end ecommerce solutions company that helps brands succeed at eCommerce. Both companies have enjoyed a close working relationship in the past – passionate about exploring end-to end solutions for brands; the
16% Growth in eCommerce Fraud Losses in Just 12 Months A new study from Juniper Research has found that the total cost of eCommerce fraud to merchants will exceed $48 billion globally in 2023, from just over $41 billion in 2022. It predicted that this growth will be accelerated by the increasing use of alternative
Partnership to provide unparalleled, frictionless customer experience to MEA customers. During GITEX Global 2022 this week Uniphore, the leader in Conversational AI and Automation, announced a strategic partnership with Avaya (NYSE:AVYA), a global leader in solutions to enhance and simplify communications and collaboration, to bring its integrated Conversational AI and communications platform to customers across
Woolworths will become the first retailer in South Africa to offer an integrated omnichannel shopping experience through their app. The upgrade will see the retailer’s two digital apps, Woolies Dash, its popular on-demand service, and the Woolies App, its main mobile app, integrate into one shopping platform, with a key focus on offering customers an
Shareholders are referred to the Stock Exchange News Service announcement on 13 April 2022 (Announcement) regarding the acquisition by Mr Price of 70% of the issued share capital of Blue Falcon Trading 188 (Proprietary) Limited, which owns the Studio 88 Group of businesses (Studio 88 Group or Business), from RMB Ventures Six (Proprietary) Limited (RMB
Over the past 12 months, the Shoprite Group has increased its installed capacity of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems by 82% to 26,606 kWp. The 143,674m2 of solar panels at 62 sites, is equivalent to the size of 20 soccer fields. This is enough to power the equivalent of 3,735 households for one full year, thus
