Congrats to Boxer on its first post-listing results presentation this week for what CEO Marek Masojada has called a “breakthrough year”. Group turnover was up +13.2% to R42.3bn (or +10.4% when removing the effect of last year’s extra week of trading), with solid strides made in store expansion thanks to 48 new stores, creating nearly 2,900 jobs over the 12 months to 2 Mar. The results are attributed to Boxer doubling down on what it does best: delivering unbeatable value while staying relentlessly efficient. The Group continues to remain focused on scaling its growth, and while no dividend was declared for the year, it is committed to long-term value creation for its customers and shareholders. Looking ahead, Boxer’s strategy is anchored in what it calls a ‘Virtuous Circle’, centred around the four core pillars of high volume, value for money, high efficiency and continued expansion.

Comment: An impressive results debut. For more on those numbers, read our handy and concise summary here.

Most will agree that SPAR has had a rough time of it over the last year or two, but here is something that its supporters and South Africa’s data-hungry shoppers can really get excited about. SPAR is now bringing us SPAR Mobile, a new mobile virtual network operator backed by MTN, which offers competitive mobile services as well as free data when purchasing promotional products. Like, for example, 300 free megs when buying a 200g jar of Douwe Egberts, or 400MB for 8kg of SPAR Woof dog food. “The SPAR Mobile offering is anchored on simplicity, affordability and trustworthiness, giving us a chance to create one-of-a-kind deals for our customers,” said Blake Raubenheimer, omnichannel executive at SPAR.

Comment: With South Africa’s airtime and data market valued at R100bn annually, it’s a worthy one to tap into. We’re excited to see how this revenue stream develops for SPAR.

A big awards week for Pick n Pay, which received two important accolades. First, The Big Blue was recognised as the top retailer in the ‘Retail Powerhouse Award’ category of ABSA’s Payments Summit and Awards. The summit showcases advancements and solutions shaping the future of payments, with awards given to companies that successfully integrate such innovations together with ABSA. And not to be outdone by the techies, Pick n Pay’s marketers also brought home some brass (and indeed gold) together with agency partner Gorilla, scooping nine trophies at the 2025 MMA Smarties Awards, an event which recognises the most creative and effective modern marketing in SA. The asap! Find the Bunny! Get the Money! campaign was the star of the evening, collecting the ‘Best in Show’ Industry Award.

Next up is Checkers, which has been working closely with NPO Blind SA to optimise the online shopping experience on its Sixty60 app for blind and partially sighted users. “Checkers serves as a role model for other companies in their commitment to engage with blind users and improving their app for blind and partially sighted shoppers,” said president of Blind SA, Christo de Klerk.

And finally, for the fifth year now, the Dis-Chem Foundation is doing its bit to keep the needy warm this winter, by donating 5,200 blankets to 33 organisations ranging from old age homes to children’s homes and animal shelters. The fortunate organisations were nominated by Dis-Chem’s Facebook followers and Dis-Chem Pharmacy staff.

One sure thing in FMCG is that there are no sure things in FMCG, as the following stories prove. We start in the US, where back in 2018 BC (before COVID), grocer Kroger launched Kroger Ship, a “direct-to-consumer” service that delivered groceries to shoppers’ homes by the likes of DHL and FedEx. So online shopping, basically. Now this was a BD (big deal) back in the BC, when it was really only Amazon and Walmart who dominated e-com. Two years later, Kroger Ship was expanded to third-party sellers, selling not just groceries, but GM, toys and homeware. Fast forward and Kroger has now announced that its Ship marketplace is no more. No single reason has been given, but shopper preference for retailers’ own on-demand delivery might have something to do with it. You can’t just deliver… you have to do it fast.

Now to Albertsons, which is also changing its e-com strategy, but this time moving away from servicing just households to businesses, competing directly with wholesalers and office supply businesses. “We’re not just grocers anymore — we’re partners in productivity,” said Stephen Menaquale, senior VP of e-com at Albertsons.

Across the Ocean, French retailer Auchan will be closing 25 stores in Spain, cutting 710 jobs due to changing shopper habits. As it turns out, Spaniards prefer shopping at smaller stores and online rather than visiting larger supers – a trend that we are tracking right here at home too.

And finally, to the far ends of the earth, where Woolworths in Aus (no relation) will be cutting prices on hundreds of products from now until at least 2026. This in an attempt to win back shoppers following allegations of price gouging over the last year and a half during the cost-of-living crisis. According to research firm, Roy (also no relation) Morgan, Australia’s supermarket giants are currently among the most distrusted brands Down in the Under.

AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer, and owner of our own SAB, enjoyed a healthy start to 2025 despite volumes being down in what it’s best known for… beer. So where’s the growth coming from? Better pricing, its premium and no-alcohol brands, and its business-to-business e-commerce platform, BEES. The BEES app enables small retailers and bar owners to directly place orders with AB InBev, as well as access credit, receive marketing support and monitor their performance. In Q1 of 2025, the marketplace received 10 million orders, a +27% increase on the same period last year, with the company reporting that as much as 72% of its global revenue comes through its B2B platforms. Commenting on AB InBev’s overall performance, CEO Michel Doukeris had this to say: “The consistent execution of our strategy by our teams and partners drove a solid start to the year and reinforces our confidence in delivering on our outlook for 2025”. The Group also plans to spend up to US$4bn in CAPEX during the financial year, a clear sign that it certainly won’t be resting on its laurels.

Comment: Digital Commerce 360, BusinessLive 08/05/25

A few more deets on PepsiCo’s Isando factory which we mentioned last week. To meet its sustainability targets, and then some, the facility boasts an ‘anaerobic digestion plant’, where organic material (most likely food waste in this case) is broken down in a digester by “a complex community of microorganisms”, thereby creating biogas used to meet 30% of the facility’s peak energy demand. By end June, PepsiCo hopes that its fully ramped up renewable energy solutions, including the digester and on-site solar, will supply enough energy to carry that factory’s day-time peak demand. Isando also achieved 100% water replenishment back in 2023/24, two years ahead of schedule, and has been sending zero waste to landfill since 2022. Back to the chips, the new R746m production line has increased chip production by 29% and created 103 direct jobs, in addition to 2,000 indirect opportunities through SMMEs.

Last week, Eskort opened South Africa’s biggest pop-up restaurant to celebrate the launch of its new range of ribs. From 8 May until 26 June, each of Eskort’s 30 stores across the country will open a Rib Rack Shack where chefs will prepare the new range of antibiotic-free pork ribs between 5pm and 7pm every Thursday. The restaurants will also have tables and chairs for patrons and, where possible, local DJs will be dropping their favourite beats to create a party atmosphere. Moving on, seven years after the world’s worst recorded outbreak of listeriosis, Tiger Brands has made offers to compensate the victims in an attempt to resolve the class-action lawsuit brought against it. While being made without admission of liability, the offer targets specific named claimants and includes an undertaking to pay proven or agreed compensatory damages in line with the Consumer Protection Act. Tiger Brands did not disclose the size of the settlement offered, but said it has sufficient product liability insurance cover to manage the claims.

Stats SA’s employment figures for Q1/2025 are out, and sadly they make for grim reading. The unemployment rate rose by a full percentage point to 32.9% from 31.9% in Q4/2024, with the expanded definition – those who are discouraged and no longer looking for work – sitting at 43.1%. We do need to bear in mind that Q4 is traditionally ‘better’ for employment due to the seasonal work offered at year-end, however in Q1, 291,000 jobs were lost, completely reversing (plus some extra) the 132,000 jobs gained in the last quarter of 2024. Of particular concern is the number of young people not in employment, education or training, currently at 3.8 million, a number that was compounded by school leavers entering the job market. “The economy is simply not growing at an adequate rate to sustainably boost long-term employment prospects,” says Casey Sprake of Anchor Capital. To make material improvements to our unemployment rate, SA’s GDP needs to see growth of at least 3% per annum – with the 2025 GDP forecast at just over half that, prospects remain bleak.