Stocktake: New investment, launches and acquisitions
This week’s news is a solid portfolio of new store launches, new concepts, acquisitions, mergers and innovation.
This week’s news is a solid portfolio of new store launches, new concepts, acquisitions, mergers and innovation, driven or accelerated by the pandemic. We will one day look back on this time with both shock and awe at how fast our industry has moved to consolidate and innovate.
Decathlon sports hub bulks up SA investment
French-based, international family-owned sporting goods designer, Decathlon, is set to open the first of its kind Sports Hub in Bryanston, Johannesburg, in July 2021. Founded in 1976, the company now has 2,080 stores in 56 countries and is unique in that they own 20 in-house brands. With a dedicated product development and design team, and the second largest research and development team in France after Renault, the group registers on average 40 patents per year. Since launching into the South African market in 2017, four Decathlon classic stores have opened in Joburg. This new hub encompasses two storeys of retail space, a third storey with a wellness, strength and conditioning gym, and 160 undercover parking bays. The Bryanston Sports Hub is also the new South African headquarters of the Decathlon Academy that provides 5,000 hours of training per year to upskilling their employees. “Each of our brands is dedicated to a specific sport or practice and designed for each skill level. We reinvest our profits into research and development, helping to give accessibility to sport,” says Xavier Paolozzi, CEO of Decathlon South Africa. Key partnerships have also been established with trusted brands such as Biogen, Garmin and others, which will occupy their own “store within a store” concept.
Tétris SA builds on M+F acquisition
Tétris Furniture Solutions is a new division from Tétris South Africa after the acquisition of M+F Business Furniture, one of the largest South African companies supplying local and international office furniture. Already one of South Africa’s largest interior design and fit out companies, and owned by JLL, a Fortune 500 company, the deal bolsters Tétris Design x Build’s offering. Says Emma Luyt, co-CEO of JLL sub-Sahara Africa and MD of Tétris Design & Build, “The global purchasing power of Tétris internationally, with 33 offices in 18 countries, combined with our commitment and ongoing support of local suppliers and craftsmen through proudly South African teams, will deliver opportunity to clients and designers throughout South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.”
Pop-up fine dining
The Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town has announced the opening of Three Forks part-time, pop-up dining concept, which will serve three fine dining courses to diners Friday to Sunday each week, in an intriguing taste adventure. “Three Forks is dishing up contemporary dining, with the hotel’s continued focus on sustainable produce and fine food,” says Wesli Jacobs, executive Sous Chef at The Table Bay.
A fashionable partnership
Global Fashion Channel (GFC) has concluded an exclusive partnership deal for pan-African affiliate distribution, advertising, and content sales with pan-African broadcast media brokerage agency, Media Brokerage Africa. Global Fashion Channel is a 24/7 TV channel that focuses on premier fashion, beauty, art, luxury lifestyle, culture, music, and special events from around the world. GFC’s bespoke fashion TV content includes the latest runway shows from New York, Paris, Milan and more; exclusive access to see all the excitement backstage at fashion shows; the latest fashion films; on location coverage of special events showcasing fashion, museums, and exhibitions; the newest beauty trends in hair and makeup from industry experts; the latest styles in bridal; and, luxury lifestyle going inside luxury hotels, exotic cars and extravagant yachts. Media Brokerage Africa will also assist the fashion channel in working with African brands and events, to showcase African culture and designers as part of the very best of the global industry.
Pay and go
The payments space is one of the most interesting right now, with the move towards a cashless society having been accelerated by Covid. In the latest deal, Zapper and Yoyo (previously wiGroup) are working together to broaden interoperability in the QR code space, giving people access to more payment options while only having to scan a single QR code. Shoppers at Zapper-enabled Yoyo merchants can now easily scan and pay for their meals, regardless of whether they have a Yoyo or Zapper payment app. While this will depend on whether the specific Yoyo merchant has signed up with Zapper; ultimately it will include brands like Kauai, Vida e caffè, Burger King, KFC, Bootleggers, Famous Brands, Wimpy, and Mugg & Bean. Yoyo merchants who choose to sign up with Zapper will be able to offer payments using just one QR code across both payment apps, driving efficiencies and avoiding customer confusion. “By mapping Zapper to the Yoyo wiCode, merchants only have to present one QR code to their customers. It is then up to the customer to choose which app they open and use to scan and pay. This benefits merchants as it increases the payment options without creating more friction for their customers. It also benefits customers through the power of choice, allowing them to use whichever app they feel best answers their needs,” Brett White, CEO of Zapper explains. Recent expansion has included integration with three of the largest parking management systems, completed in October last year, as well as with pharmacy megastore, Dis-Chem in 2019. The inclusion of Zapper into the Huawei Pay offering in recent months is also testament to the growth trajectory of the company as well as its commitment to facilitate secure payments over as many platforms as possible
This week in numbers
70%
While research from various sources – including the ODOmeter 2.0 survey from OneDayOnly.co.za, and Online Retail in South Africa 2021 by World Wide Worx – has shown that over 60% of online shoppers have reverted to a split of instore and online shopping since lockdown ended, over 70% of those surveyed in the ODOmeter indicated that deals such as ‘40% off’ and ‘buy one, get one free’ would keep them shopping online. And to keep them coming back online, retailers need to look at free delivery and faster delivery: 73% of ODOmeter survey respondents want free delivery of items to become the norm in online shopping; while free shipping is even higher on the needs-list then speed of delivery as 66% of respondents want free delivery vs 33% who want faster delivery.
QUOTE of the week:
“Internationally, the renting economy is not only growing but also expanding to include everything from jewellery to homeware, clothing, leisure equipment and party accessories, to mention just a few. ‘Generation Rent’ are a ‘growing population of consumers who are willing to pay good money for the privilege of not having to own something’,” said Jonathan Hurvitz, Group CEO of online retailer Teljoy, on Retailing Africa this past week.
Main image credit: Decathlon.
*Stocktake is a weekly roundup of current FMCG retail, retailing and brand news, curated and edited by Retailing Africa Publisher & Editor, Louise Burgers. Keep the industry updated and send your announcements and news to: news@retailingafrica.com.
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