Late last week, we received news that SPAR would be joining the likes of Checkers and Woolies in the petcare space race in what is fast becoming a very highly contested category. On paper, all looked fine and dandy – known as Pet Storey, SPAR’s new format would also follow a franchise model, making pet products and services “accessible and affordable” to punters. Shortly after opening the doors of its first store in Boksburg, however, SPAR faced significant backlash for selling live animals in store. Shoppers were not happy, and animal rescue organisations and animal rights advocates also had their say, resulting in the retailer having to backtrack on the sale of all animals entirely. “We have heard and understand all concerns raised following the launch of our first Pet Storey store in Boksburg,” a SPAR statement said. “We apologise sincerely for the distress this has caused. We have since made the decision not to sell mammals, reptiles, birds or invertebrates at any Pet Storey store.” The statement also made it clear that SPAR would ensure that Pet Storey remained focused on selling only pet care accessories and services.

Comment: SPAR plans to open 25-30 Pet Storey stores nationwide by the end of 2025 and at least 100 by the end of 2026. Well done to SPAR for so quickly and efficiently hearing their customers and the wider public and acting on their concerns.

Botswanan retailer, Choppies, which ventured across the Limpopo River in 2008 to open its first store in SA, is now officially exiting the South African market, having agreed to sell its Jwayelani chain of 45 stores and a meat processing plant in KZN to local retail and investment company, the Shingai Group. Founded in 2013 by CEO Philisiwe Sibiya, Shingai’s main focus is to distribute African food brands to global retailers through its supply chain and logistics expertise. The plan is to revitalise the Jwayelani brand, strengthen its community heritage as a discount chain and create a platform that empowers black-owned producers, farmers, and suppliers. From Choppies’ side, the divestment is part of its strategy to streamline operations, following its exit from other African countries over the past few years due to underperformance. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to be completed before the end of November 2025.

Comment: Jwayelani, founded over 20 years ago as a fresh and frozen meat chain, impressed us with its slick operations and modern stores before its acquisition by Choppies. Once seen as a challenger to the majors, we’re glad to see this happy business coming back home.

Well done, Mzansi, you did it! Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld turned into a smoky paradise this Heritage Day, as 2,500 braaiers, hosted by independent retailer Big Save, converged to break the Guinness World Record for simultaneous grilling – and break it they did! At 10am sharp, tongs clattered, charcoal flared, and the smell of boerewors filled the stadium. The festival wasn’t just about fire and meat, however. Among the entertainers on stage were Mi Casa, Biggy and GoodLuck. Food trucks, chill zones, and even an adults-only beer garden ensured the festival catered to everyone.

Comment: Well done to the organisers, who carefully managed safety and logistics on a massive scale. By mid-afternoon, Heritage Day not only felt like a holiday, but also a proudly South African celebration of community, culture, and culinary theatre.

We kick off our wrap-up of shorter stories this week with Boxer, which has just opened its 550th store in Bridge City Mall, KwaMashu (KZN). Looking back at our records, we see that it celebrated its 500th store opening less than a year ago – that’s 50 stores in 47 weeks. Impressive by anyone’s standards. Sort of related, Pick n Pay has converted its supermarket in Liberty Midland Mall, Pietermaritzburg, into a full-blown hyper. The decision to upgrade the Liberty Mall store followed a review of local shopping patterns and needs, revealing a strong demand for greater variety under one roof. This is the first of several revamps for The Big Blue, which hasn’t opened a net new hyper in five years. Next up, Amazon has launched a couple of pop-up shops as part of its Shop Mzansi Heritage Month celebration. With one pop-up in CT and another in Jozi, the stores are a showcase for products from local entrepreneurs, aiming to support small businesses and create connections between sellers and customers. And finally, Checkers Little Shop is back with its cute mini products, but this time shaped into sticky poppers that can also be used to play their very own, dedicated board game. Shopper feedback has been mixed, with some loving the new take, while others are disappointed, saying they preferred the standard mini products. Either way, the kids are all abuzz about them, and there will no doubt soon be groups of Little Shop Swoppers on school playgrounds across the country.

Comment: Good luck, moms and dads.

Trading updates and results from three of our food manufacturers, kicking off with an update from Premier Group. It expects profit for the six months to the end of September to increase by as much as +30%, despite sluggish revenue growth. The Group attributed the performance to strong cost control and efficiency gains, which have offset deflation in soft commodity prices.

RFG Foods (Rhodes Foods Group), meanwhile, reported just +2.4% revenue growth for 11 months to the end of August, driven by a good performance at home, while international sales battled along. Revenue fell 8.4% abroad because of an oversupply of deciduous fruit products and lower demand. Export revenue has also dropped, with the US tariffs adding uncertainty. The Group said it is exploring new markets to offset the export risk.

Then big news from Libstar, owner of South African favourites such as Lancewood, Denny and Goldcrest, is that the business is evaluating expressions of interest for a possible takeover, an announcement which saw its shares jump by +16%. CEO Charl de Villiers reassured stakeholders that any potential takeover would not affect the business’ long-term strategy and everyday operations, and that the company was looking at cost-cutting, portfolio simplification, new product rollouts and export initiatives to help it face up to rising costs and weak consumer spending. The announcement comes on the back of its latest interim results, which showed revenue up a solid +6.7% and a gross profit margin increase to 21.6%, as the business managed to hold or grow market share in dairy and condiments.

Stats SA’s inflation data for Aug 2025 came in at +3.3% year-on-year, down from +3.5% in July. Digging into the details:

• Housing and Utilities: +4.3% year-on-year. Electricity: +8.7%, water: +7.1% and rental: +2.5%
• Food and non-alcoholic beverages: +5.2%. Meat prices continue to tick up (+11.3% year-on-year) as beef supply has been impacted by foot-and-mouth disease. Vegetable inflation +9.3%, but some produce is moving to deflation, e.g. potatoes
• Fuel prices remained cheaper than last year for August (i.e. deflation): -5.7%. Petrol went down -28c/litre but diesel went up +65c/l

The Monetary Policy Committee met last week and decided to keep the interest rate unchanged. Four members voted for no change, while two favoured a -25bps cut, but were outvoted. In the statement, the SARB governor emphasised that stabilising inflation at 3%, rather than 4.5%, implies a lower longer-term level for the interest rate, which should (in theory) support growth. But first, the SARB and National Treasury need to work out the details

Comment: Steak prices may have been +29% more than last year’s Heritage Day, but with potatoes -6.5% cheaper, did everyone have extra potato salad?