That sneaky little sneak preview of the Shoprite results you didn’t even know you were waiting for, released last week in a trading update. The results themselves are due August 19, which would make them a proud and domineering Leo… where were we? Ah yes: Group sales up a very solid 11.2% to R113.7billion in the year to June, with the SA supers up 10.5%, compared with 8.7% in the last FY. The 189 supermarkets beyond our borders grew sales 13.5% in rand terms, or 15.5% in local currencies. Like store sales across the Group grew at 4.3%. All of this, says Shoprite, points to a growth in market share, amid the tough conditions which now prevail in the Beloved Country. 

Comment: Some good numbers there. And considering the Big Red One’s brutal ways with overheads, one assumes that trading profit will be similarly pleasing.

And while we’re talking trading updates, here come the usually restrained Woolworths with a brash and brassy 55% growth in revenue for the year to June. But hang about, before you get all excited and rush out to stock up on shares, that does include sales from the newly acquired David Jones stores Down Under. Not taking those into account, growth was a more muted 12%, a touch down from last year. This as tough conditions back home take a bite out of even the better-heeled punter’s disposable income. And speaking of better-heeled, most of Woolies staff beneficiaries of the BEE share scheme put into place eight years ago will end up R200,000 richer, give or take. So far, staff have cashed out to the tune of R1.9billion, with a total of R2.4billion in value having been created, and about R332million paid out in dividends. 

Comment: And that, Mr President, is what a good story looks like

You’ve been beside yourself with worry these past weeks and we don’t blame you. “How does an end-to-end enterprise software giant make a crust these days?” you’ve been asking yourself. We’re here to tell you that your fears are unfounded: SAP’s second-quarter operating profit was up 13% to €1.39 billion off sales which increased 20% to €4.97billion. On the downside, margin diminished a tad relative to last year, as new web-based cloud software available online from vendors such as Salesforce.com, Workday and even a little outfit called Amazon.com has made its present felt in SAP’s traditional market, where businesses have historically bought shiny off-the-shelf solutions in impressive packaging then spent years and years paying people to implement them.

Comment: Disruptive technologies eh. Can’t live with them, can’t shoot them.

A surprisingly healthy gain in Retail Trade Sales for the month of May, according to the venerable beard-tuggers over at Statistics South Africa. 2.4% year-on-year to be exact, or 2.8% if you’re looking at the preceding three months. General dealers, like Mr Olsen in Little House on the Prairie (at 0.9 of a percentage point) and retailers in hardware, paint and glass (at 0.6) were the main contributors to this largesse, although judging by the Shoprite and Woolies trading updates (above) and the Massmart interims (below), our dear retailers played their own brave part, too. If we’re talking month on month, though – another story. At 0.1% May barely gained on April, which in turn was flat after March’s decline of 0.2%. 

Comment: With a consumer-driven economy, where people buying stuff contributes an out-of-whack 60% of the total, we need to do better than this. Or look for a more sustainable model for growth.

Some interims from the Men in Black, and as fine a set as you could hope to clap eyes upon in this blighted economy: total sales up 9% to ZAR38.9billion, with like store sales up a handsome 6.8% against product inflation of 3.7%. Massbuild (16.3%) and Makro (10.9%) the top performers, with Masscash lagging sadly at 4.8%.