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If we had to pick a winner among the retailers, it would have to be Shoprite – innovating, expanding, offering quality and value in increasing parts, and showing everyone how to get home delivery right. And Clicks, with its steely focus on rolling out pharmacy even as it expands both organically and by acquisition, still the market leader in footprint by a country mile, matched by Dis-Chem for retail pharmacy market share. Pick n Pay – a hard year, with the loss to us all of Chairman Raymond Ackerman, and some middling results. The return of Sean Summers promises some sparks in the new year though, with the ongoing success of the Boxer brand the brightest of them all. Similarly, SPAR, in a year beset by controversy and a difficult SAP rollout. But with the disposal of the underperforming Poland operation, and some new blood in the corridors of power, a return to form looks to be on offer. Next Massmart, owned outright now by Walmart and leveraging some of the big guy’s power and expertise, especially in omnichannel. Finally, Woolies, back on track as Roy Bagattini leads the business into a future unencumbered by its Antipodean baggage.

Comment: What a year just past, and what a year 2024 promises to be.

So, what can we expect from festive spending this year, you and everyone else asks? According to short-term lender Wonga’s sixth annual Summer Spending Survey, a little less than last year: South Africans are expected to spend an estimated R224bn over this year’s festive season, a -4% YoY decline for the second year in a row, and down by R619 per person versus 2021. We shall have to make do as best we can.

Next, some pleasing news from SPAR, which has recorded significant growth in users of its SPAR2U in-demand delivery app. As of November, it was offering delivery from 373 stores across all major metros with a further 170 outlets to be rolled out in the next few months. The business added an estimated 80,000-odd users this year, with MoM revenue and volumes up by an average of 27% over the year.

As COP28 winds down, big up to Shoprite, which has almost doubled the amount of renewable energy used in its operations to 103,000MWh over the past year, mainly by increasing the amount of renewable energy bought from landlords and other suppliers by 91%. It has also reduced electricity consumption by 161 million kWh through its LED lamp replacement project, and its network of solar-panel installations now cover the equivalent of more than 26 soccer fields.

Moving on, Pick n Pay, having enjoyed a successful Black Friday, is keeping the spirit of that holiday alive with giveaways totalling up to as much as R30m in mystery presents, for on-demand purchases of R350 and up, until Christmas Eve. On-demand is the current lingo for online shopping. Pick n Pay believes that it’s rapidly evolving from a last-minute option to a ‘go-to solution’.

Finally, Dis-Chem is throwing its weight behind a project driven by multidisciplinary research outfit Ezintsha, dedicated to HIV prevention through Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). The partnership sees Ezintsha funding nurse and doctor consultations and the required blood test and medication for qualifying patients, at two Dis-Chem clinics – in Wonderboom and Hammanskraal – with the clinics providing a holistic treatment and pharmaceutical offering.

Comment: Of course, we’ll bring you those actual holiday spend figures as they reveal themselves in the new year.

And to conclude, a check-in on the dear old South African economy as the year winds down, and there’s some good news amid the gloom: Retail trade sales were up a modest +0.9% after 9 straight months of decline, and employment was up by +980,000 year-on-year in Q3, finally breaching its pre-pandemic levels at 16.7 million.

Comment: Perhaps 2024 will be the year we begin to turn our battered barge of a fiscus around; we are after all a nation of miracles.