In this age of instant gratification, we all want it now – whether it’s the next episode of a series we’re binge-watching or our weekly groceries delivered within the hour. The same applies to our loyalty rewards, which is why starting this month, Woolworths will be rolling out its souped-up MyDifference loyalty programme, offering tiers, discounts, vouchers and rewards through gamification. While the previous MySchool and WRewards mechanics still apply – i.e., where a percentage of spend is allocated to shoppers’ chosen causes – the new programme also offers instant rewards, much like competitors Shoprite (Xtra Savings), Pick n Pay (Smart Shopper), and SPAR (Rewards). MyDifference will work through a physical and/or virtual rewards card, but to access all its benefits, shoppers will be required to download the app and register for the programme. Then there are the tiers, where (obvs) the more you spend, the greater your reward. The programme offers three reward tiers: Loyal (for those who spend up to R11,999 per year at Woolies), Ambassador (R12,000 to R35,999 in spend per year) and VIP (more than R36,000 per year), with various benefits that are too numerous to mention here. But if you really can’t wait and need to know RIGHT NOW, have a read of the programme’s T&Cs.

Comment: We do love loyalty programmes, and honestly, Woolies’ was lacking a little something. We’re interested to see how this one fares.

TIL (Today I Learned): You have no claim over a loan owed to you from an insolvent estate once it has been wound up. Something Pick n Pay had to learn the hard way last week, when it lost its appeal to the Supreme Court and is now required to pay back the R21m it received from a liquidated franchise store back in 2019. The details are somewhat convoluted, but in short, after not having received the amount due to it, Pick n Pay issued its own payment instruction to settle the debt. “Oh no you di'int,” said the liquidators, and indeed the court, since creditors cannot claim from an insolvent estate without going through proper legal channels. The retailer now has to pay the sum back. In happier news from The Big Blue, as Tier 1 sponsor of the Springboks and together with the Pick n Pay School Club, the retailer made it possible for 11 young girl rugby players from local underrepresented communities to attend their first live professional rugby match at Loftus last Saturday and meet their heroes, the Springbok Women’s team. “When they see players like Lerato Makua from Mamelodi and Patience Mokoni from Soshanguve wearing the Springbok jersey, it shows them that it’s possible, no matter where you come from,” said the girls’ rugby coach, Mahlogonolo Gama from Nellmapius Rugby Club, who accompanied them to the game.

Comment: Well done to Pick n Pay for taking its sponsorship of the Boks beyond the professional stage to those with limited resources and who face significant challenges in pursuing their sporting dreams.

We kick off this segment with an international retailer that has been shaking things up locally. Ultra-cheap marketplace Temu has opened a local warehouse in SA, which means even quicker turnaround of under two days, and even next-day delivery. Items available from the warehouse will be tagged as “local”, and just who the lucky courier is that will be delivering the goods has not yet been revealed. Staying with fast delivery but over in the UK, Amazon and on-demand delivery partner, GoPuff, are extending their 15-minute grocery deliveries to the South West city of Bristol. Delivery is made from local “micro-fulfilment centres” and following the initial launch in May this year, the service is now available in 16 cities across England and Wales. Still in Blighty – and we confess that we’re a little puzzled by this one – Aldi is encouraging its shoppers to support the England women’s football team during the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 event by dragging them away from their tellys and incentivising them to go to the shops instead. Yes, because shoppers in Hampshire who miss an England goal while at their local Aldi will be reimbursed for their misfortune. But it gets even stranger… to qualify for the reimbursement, shoppers have to be checking out in the same minute that England scores (time on receipt required as proof) and only the first two entrants per goal will be given the value of their shop back in vouchers, up to £100. Finally, Walmart has opened its first case-ready beef processing factory in Kansas, where beef sourced directly from the farm will be processed and packaged into cuts that are ready for retail. The facility will create 600 jobs for surrounding areas and is a prime (No. Ed.) example of how Walmart is working to invest more in US-made and sourced goods.

In a move that will help control bird flu locally, the Department of Agriculture has announced that South Africa will embark on its first-ever vaccination of poultry against avian influenza outbreaks. On 30 June, the Dept issued a vaccination permit to Astral Foods, authorising the company to begin vaccinating against the virus at one of its broiler breeder farms, targeting around 5% of Astral’s breeding stock. The vaccine in question will only protect against the H5 strain of the virus, however, while the vaccine for the H7 virus, which was responsible for the major outbreak in 2023, is still in the process of registration. In related news, with Brazil regaining its bird flu-free status in late June, the local poultry industry is urging the DoA and Brazilian authorities to fast-track finalisation of the required certifications allowing SA to resume importing mechanically deboned meat (MDM) from the South American nation. Over 90% of MDM used in SA comes from Brazil, and delays in resuming trade are impacting food affordability, say insiders.

Still on the topic of poultry, Rhodes Food Group-owned Bull Brand is launching a new and decidedly not-beefy variant: Curried Chicken Mince with Vegetables. The ready-to-eat meal contains no pork or MSG and taps into Bull Brand’s two major drivers of protein diversification and the demand for convenient, value meals. In November last year, you may recall, Astral Foods also announced a trial of Goldi breast fillets in gravy for trade sampling, although we haven’t noticed the product on the shelves at our local supers yet. Next, co-sponsor of the Boks, Coca-Cola, has launched a series of fun initiatives that will boost the soft drink’s connection with SA rugby. This includes the ‘Be a Bok’ campaign, allowing lucky fans to get closer to the squad, the ‘Fan Can’, a range of 20 collectable cans each featuring the signature of a Bok star, and the new Powerade Springboks edition. And in closing, big up to Tiger Brands, which, together with the DoE, has launched a community food safety campaign in selected schools across the country. The educational campaign was prompted by recent food-safety incidents involving learners and seeks to educate children about foodborne illnesses and how to prevent them. The campaign will be rolled out at schools which are already beneficiaries of Tiger’s national in-school breakfast programme.

And so, the 90-day halt on Trump’s tariffs ended yesterday. What now? Well, according to Monday’s letter sent by the White House to President Ramaphosa, South Africa will, in fact, be slapped with 30% tariffs “on any and all South African products sent into the United States”, although the commencement date has been extended to 1 August. Here’s a brief rundown:

• The tariffs are separate from (and thus in addition to) sectoral tariffs, i.e. targeted import taxes already being applied to specific industries and product
• Trump did hint that a new deal could be reached before August, saying, “There will be no tariff if South Africa, or companies within your country, decide to build or manufacture product[s] within the United States…”
• Trump warned that goods that are transhipped to evade a higher tariff will be charged that tariff anyway, and
• “If for any reason you decide to raise your tariffs, then, whatever the number you choose to raise them by, will be added onto the 30% that we charge”

South Africa was not the only country to receive such a love letter, with 14 other nations (including Japan, South Korea and Bangladesh) being issued with their own. In response to ours, Ramaphosa said he “has noted the correspondence from President Donald Trump on the unilateral imposition of a 30% trade tariff against South Africa” and pushed back, saying that the tariffs were based on an inaccurate view of the trade balance between the two countries. Ramaphosa has instructed the negotiation team to urgently engage with the US based on the Framework addressing various issues that was submitted to the White House in May.

Comment: We don’t have much more to say about that. What is clear, however, is that businesses can no longer just “wait and see”. Building resilient FMCG strategies in a world of trade wars and economic uncertainty is a must, a topic that you can read more about in our white paper here.