Pick n Pay would like you to know that they have R200m waiting for you in Smart Shopper points, and they would like you to come and spend it. This largesse, in unclaimed points from the past year of shopping, work out at around R20 per member of the loyalty programme, which now boasts over 8.5 million active members. And a pretty ripped bunch they’re going to be, if Pick n Pay have anything to do with it: the retailer’s LIVEFIT range of exercise equipment consists of over 75 products, ranging from yoga mats, bands, balls, and dumbbell sets to exercise bikes and weightlifting benches, and home gyms, all of which have been selling hand over fist as COVID drives people out of the gym and into the spare room. Now PnP are offering Smart Shoppers who buy any of these 12 free online fitness classes with a local fitness enthusiast, trainer and LIVEFIT Brand Ambassador, Samantha Matos.

Comment: Wellness and loyalty are highly contested spaces in South Africa’s retail landscape. Pick n Pay are ticking boxes and taking names.

Word from the Stock Exchange News Service (SENS) is that Shoprite is adding some muscle to its board in the form of Linda de Beer and Nonkululeko Gobodo as independent non-executive directors. De Beer comes via the boards of such illustrious businesses as Aspen, Momentum, and Tongaat Hulett, with a background in governance, accounting and reporting, and is the Chair of the Public Interest Oversight Board, which oversees and monitors the standards set for audit and accountant ethics. “Well governed companies are the success stories that give confidence in our country and its markets, which is very important for foreign investment,” she avers. Gobodo has served on the boards of Clicks and Mercedes Benz SA, and has sat on various ethical and oversight committees too numerous to list here. She is, she says, eager to work with a group that “is committed to … feeding the nations of Africa and catering for all people, including poorer communities, with affordable products such as bread below R5 and affordable sanitary pads”.

Comment: Hawk-like oversight and nation building. A powerful combo.

A year something into COVID-19 and the dramatic change in lifestyle it has brought – so who is winning the home delivery wars? Bottom line, Checkers 60Sixty hands down. They had already set it up by November 2019 and when COVID hit were ready to scale. They operate out of 195 stores and counting, have launched an app that has been downloaded over a million times, and have signed up 800 new staff to meet demand. Their focus has been on convenience, with a streamlined range they know they can get out there – and replenish – quickly. Launched in December 2020, same-day delivery service Woolies Dash operates out of 18 stores at the moment, and does offer a pleasant online shopping experience. Being Woolies, the focus is on prepared food, cut fruit, and ready-to-eat meals for today’s busy professional. Pick n Pay entered online shopping almost before there was an internet, in 2001, and with the acquisition of Bottles in early lockdown was able to ramp things up pretty quickly. They now have a home-delivery and click-and-collect network of over 150 stores and continue to invest heavily in enabling punters to access what they need from any device and at any time.

Comment: So there you have it. At the moment. First-mover advantage is not something to be taken for granted in a competitive space like this.

In the United Kingdom, Lidl are aiming to bring to market a carbon-neutral cheddar cheese sometime this year, as part of its mission to save 22.5 million kilos of carbon annually. Chilled cheese is apparently the second-highest carbon emitter in the supply chain after fresh meat. Lidl will achieve their earth-friendly cheddar by a mix of sustainable farming, improved business practices and the purchase of high-end carbon credits. In Australia, Aldi have come under fire for encouraging “brawling and injury” in their stores through their dangerously popular ‘Special Buys’ promotions. The scrimmage in question was apparently provoked by a particularly attractive range of aluminium cookware. And over in the US and A, Walmart has acquired. Because that is what they do. What? Ah yes: acquired, in this case, start-up Zeekit, which allows punters to try on clothes virtually – something that Amazon does not yet offer.

Comment: It’s been our experience that Australians need no incitement toward brawling and injury.

Set to shake things up at Mondelez, bringer to market of such iconic brands as Oreo, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Toblerone, Clorets, Halls and Tucs, is Yokesh Maharaj, who joins the firm as president of its Sub-Saharan African business unit, as of last month. He comes to Mondelez from 18 years at SAB, where he served as business unit president, executive director sales and distribution, and executive director for human resources. He will be looking to grow the business across the continent, but has a particular eye on East Africa, where they will focus their energies in the short term – although they also have a toehold in the more challenging West African markets. He also believes that growth opportunities remain for the core brands and pack sizes, but that brand extensions and innovation have a role to play. “We are currently undertaking a strategy refresh to unlock the growth potential across the broader continent and getting a better appreciation of the categories that will present long-term growth,” he says.

Comment: East Africa is rising. Something of which our entire sector would do well to take note.

A big shakeup coming in the liquor aisles, if the news out of Distell is to be believed. Let’s take it from the horse’s mouth shall we? “Shareholders are advised that Heineken has approached Distell regarding the potential acquisition of Distell’s business.” Then there’s some bumpf about a lack of certainty, caution to be exercised, and further announcements. Distell, has a market value of around R31.8bn, and an acquisition would be Heineken’s biggest bit of business since it went into partnership with China Resources Beer Holdings back in the one eight. Distell, with brands like Savannah, Hunters and Klipdrift, would bring some welcome portfolio into the Heineken stable – the brewer has had a rough year, with declines in markets like Brazil and the UK where lockdowns have depressed demand. Here in the Beloved Country, Heineken has been selling its slim and refreshing green receptacles hand over fist.

Comment: Another vote of confidence by a major multinational in South Africa’s ability to turn the economic ship around and presumably celebrate with a cold one thereafter.

If you pay heed to dear Beti (BankservAfrica Economic Transaction Index), you’ll know that South Africa achieved its “highest and fastest growth level ever” in monthly transactions paid into the South African National Payments System in April, which grew +25.9% in real terms on a year-on-year basis, for a total of R1.03 trillion, compared with R679bn for April 2020. This marks a return to a pre-COVID state of affairs rather than substantive overall growth. There are other points of light. The interest rate, at 3.5%, is the lowest since anyone can remember, and in an environment of low inflation is not likely to go anywhere anytime soon. SARS has been doing a bang-up job of collecting our hard earned, consumers and businesses alike, we have just recorded a record trade surplus, and the dear old ZAR is holding steady against the dollar at 14 even.

Comment: Great stuff all round. Let’s hope this rising tide floats even the smallest boats.